Live To Die
by Finner
Summary: After an unexpected arrest, fourteen year-old Cassidy Hunter found herself living in the Potter manor with sweet Mr. & Mrs. Potter and their rude son, James. Being the new student in school, could she avoid being the Marauders' 'new target? Doubt it.
1. To Face The Truth

**To Face The Truth**

The longer I stayed there, the more nervous and impatient I got. The clock hanging above the dark corridor seemed to be the only thing I was hearing. The ticking echoed inside my head and the more times it ticked, the more times I wanted to start screaming.

Finally, after what felt like hours of waiting, the door of the courtroom opened and a sweaty, black-haired man came out with a broad shouldered Ministry official. His hands were cuffed behind him and the Ministry official forced him out of the room.

"DAD! _DAD_!" I screamed feeling the tears I held back during the wait fall down my cheeks. "WHAT YOU DOING? STOP IT!"

I threw myself at my father and tried to pull him out of the Ministry official's grasp.

More Ministry workers exited the courtroom wearing plum-colored robes with the letter W on them. One of them put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me away from my father. He grabbed my arm when I tried struggling out of him grip.

I screamed for my father as he was being pulled to a another direction. I screamed even when he was out of my sight.

"Miss Hunter, you must come with me," the man said calmly.

I barely heard him. He pulled me away from the courtroom anyway. I sobbed, still calling for my father. The man had pulled me in the lift and it started to ascend.

"DAD!" I called, still sobbing. "_DAD_!"

Ministry workers in plum-colored robes inside the lift wee looking at me with pity. One by one, they exited the lift until finally, the man pulled me out with him. My sobbing echoed in the high-ceilinged floor. Workers were moving out of my way as I passed. I allowed the man to lead me until I finally broke down completely.

I fell down on the purple carpet and hugged my knees, crying. I called for my father again and I could hear nothing except my desperate calls. Behind the tears in my eyes, I could see the blurry bodies of Ministry workers surrounding me.

A black-haired man kneeled in front of me. He must have been the one who led me hear. I could see his mouth moving but I couldn't hear him. I continued to call for my already arrested father. I was scared and lost. They arrested him without my knowledge. What was happening?

Then the black-haired man picked me up and carried me. We passed a couple of door until the man finally stopped in front of the largest one. I wiped my tear-filled eyes and squinted to see what the plaque on it said.

**Millicent Bagnold**

**Minister for Magic**

The man set me down on the ground gently and I staggered on my feet. He knocked firmly on the door and a cool woman's voice answered.

"Come in."

We stepped in a large square room. Seated behind the big mahogany desk was the dark-haired Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold. In front of the desk were two occupied chairs and two unoccupied ones.

The second I laid my eyes on the Minister for Magic, I raged.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" I bellowed in anger.

Before I could do anything else, the man who led me here grabbed my shoulders to keep me from pouncing on the Minister.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Hunter, please sit," Bagnold ordered, her coal black eyes piercing my own dark forest green orbs.

Mr. Potter sat beside a serious looking man wearing a bowler hat. The only seat left was beside a kind looking witch with honey blond hair like mine. I gave the Minister a cold glare before sitting down.

"Full name please, Miss Hunter."

I looked up at the Minister and bit my lip to keep myself from cursing at her.

"Cassidy Marisa Hunter," I said through gritted teeth.

Bagnold looked through some papers on her desk. "You are the daughter of Mr. Harrison Joseph Hunter, is that correct?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered sitting up straight. "And I have the right to know why he was being arrested down there!"

"Do you know of his crimes?" Bagnold asked, ignoring my last comment.

"Crimes?" I said quickly. "He hasn't done anything!"

"And that is where you are wrong, Cassidy Hunter."

I stood up, fury boiling inside me.

"_You're_ wrong!" I snapped. "He hasn't done anything! He's my dad! I would know!"

"Miss Hunter, for years, you father has been going around molesting, raping and killing young Muggle women." said the man seated beside Mr. Potter.

"No," I whispered. "He- He wouldn't. He couldn't!"

"We also believe that you have been taught magic illegally by your father." said Bagnold. "You two have been in hiding for years now, am I correct? Witches and wizards are required to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the age of eleven but instead, your father ignored the letter sent from the school and decided to homeschool you instead without the knowledge of the MInistry. Did you know that you were doing illegal magic?"

I sat down on the chair and buried my face in my hands, shaking my head furiously.

"He said… He said he got permission," I said quietly.

"Harrison Hunter has never stepped in or contacted anyone in the Ministry since before he was married," Bagnold explained. "He has never asked for anyone's permission, specifically me since I am the only one who can approve of such a thing."

"But the rape," I said suddenly remembering what the man had said. "That's not true! It cant be true! He was… was always…"

My voice drifted off as I realized that I would only be lying if I completed that sentence. My father was never home. We were in hiding so that meant he was supposed to be home all the time, right? But he never was. He always said he was out to get some food but that was never true. I had to find food for myself.

"We have witnesses, Miss Hunter," Bagnold pressed on.

"Please, Minister, she's only just found out," Mr. Potter suddenly spoke up.

"There's is no other way in telling her, Potter. She must accept it. What is done is done."

I let out a sob, wanting to leave this place as quickly as possible. Then I caught myself thinking about my family. How they were all gone. The first time this happened, only my dad and me were left. Now it's me. Just me.

My family was murdered four years ago. All of them, excluding my father. We had a family reunion that day. My mother was at home entertaining everyone. I was still in school, waiting for my dad. My mother was a Muggle so she forced me to study in a Muggle school before going to a magical one like dad wanted. He picked me up a little late and when we arrived home, the Dark Mark was set above the house.

After four years of my father pestering me to forget about that day, I never truly did.

I was sitting down on one of the school's park benches. It was slowly getting dark and I was wondering whether my father was just caught in the traffic or he was too busy preparing with my mother for the family reunion. Either way, I didn't mind.

The school's street was deserted. I patiently waited for the sound of running car and I stayed there until the stars were out. It started to rain that night. My mother always told me to bring an umbrella to school everyday and that was the only time I thanked her for it. And last.

My father finally arrived and as I entered the car, freezing cold, he apologized for being late. He got held up in work and had to leave late. At that time, I didn't notice how nervous and sweaty he was. But now that I was starting to remember that night again, I realized he was.

He drove in an uneasy manner and he kept glancing at me in the mirror upfront. We finally arrived home and I couldn't wait to see all my aunts, uncles and cousins. Being an only child, I occasionally felt a bit lonely. I envied those with brothers and sisters but I loved my mother and father and even though my father was usually out, I was very close with my mother.

I immediately exited my car and faced my two-story house from the side walk. I frowned when I saw the eerie green glow then I heard my father fall back and hit the car, making it alarm. I lifted my head up and a scream escaped my mouth. I dropped down on my knees on the newly mowed lawn. Even though I couldn't see the Dark Mark from down there, I could visualize the scary figure in my head and the more I thought of it, the more tears escaped my eyes. My father gripped my arm and pulled me up.

We slowly walked to the silent house. My father pulled out his wand and pushed the front door open making it creak. The sound echoed inside the dark house and my father lit up his wand for light. His wand illuminated the living room and another scream escaped my mouth.

The three lifeless bodies of my younger cousins stared up at the ceiling with their blank eyes. I kneeled in front of the youngest one, Geraldine Fitzburg. She was only six and her dead body was beside her sister's, Charisse, who was eight. The third was Jack Hunter, another cousin of mine. My father had to drag me to the kitchen to let go of Geraldine.

We passed more dead bodies in the hallway. My aunts and uncles and I even saw Jack's siblings, Cameron and Tracy. The kitchen was the worst part. I saw my two year old cousin laying on the kitchen counter with his lifeless brown eyes staring blankly. And on the floor was my mother.

That was when I broke down completely. I kneeled beside her body and screamed. I screamed for her and tried to shake her as though to wake her up from her sleep. The curly honey blond hair I inherited from her was in it's usual tight bun. Her blue eyes that were once so cheerful were boring into my green ones.

While I was screaming for my mother, my father was curled up in a corner, muttering to himself. I wanted to blame him. Blame him for everything. I didn't know why, but I somehow thought it was his fault. Maybe it was because he was never home. Maybe it was because he spent too much time in work than with his family.

But I didn't. I didn't have the heart to blame him. He was my father after all. He loved me. He loved my mother. It couldn't be his fault. If this was anyone's fault it would have been You-Know-Who, The Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He and his filthy Death Eaters did this.

Before I could start cursing the wretched man, my father had stood up and pulled me out of the kitchen. He walked quicker out of the hallway and soon, out of the house. He pushed me into the car before I could object and he got on the driver's seat. We drove off before I could get a last glimpse at the house.

"We h-have t-to call th-the M-Ministry!" I said, sobbing.

He didn't listen. He drove even faster and soon, we were out of the village and into the busy streets. He drove faster than any other car. He cried silently as he drove. That night, he was a maniac.

"_DAD_!" I tried to scream to snap him out of his mental state. "DAD, STOP IT!"

I was ten and confused. I had no idea what to do. Then we reached an intersection. The stoplight lit red but my dad hadn't planned to stop.

The screeching sound of our car still echoed in my mind today. The blinding white light and crash still haunted my dreams.

My father was saved by the airbag but I wasn't so lucky. I was terribly injured and sobbing. Before the police could see us in the car, my father grabbed my bloody arm and we disapparated.

We went into hiding and I was healed by my father. We lived with each other for years and we never talked about the crash since it happened. We never talked about my mother since that day either. In fact, we rarely even talked. But one day, my father found the paper that dated my family's death and it listed the heartless followers of the Dark Lord who killed them. I stayed in my room most of the time since I had no school anymore. My father had to leave the house to get some food.

Or at least, that was what I thought he was doing.

"Cassidy," the woman beside me said that snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I-It's Cassie," I managed to say.

"Cassie, I am Lisa Finnigan from the Department of Magical Education. We already talked to the Headmaster of Hogwats who is part of the Wizengamot. He has agreed to let you continue your education as a fourth year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this September first."

"September first?" I said quietly. "That's two days from now."

"Your house is being inspected right now; your father revealing it's location. Barty Crouch," Finnigan gestured to the man sitting beside Mr. Potter. "specifically told them to bring all your things here."

"You will get your things after this discussion," Barty Crouch said.

"Where- Where will I live?"

"I was told that you have no other family members besides your father," Bagnold said.

"They're dead," I said with a nod. "D-Dark Lord… Death- Death Eaters…" I shuddered.

"I will let her stay in my house until a wizard family will be willing to adopt her," Mr. Potter suddenly said.

"Mr. Potter, it is not necessary-" started Barty Crouch but Potter cut him off.

"As Head Auror, it is my responsibility to stop all Death Eaters from attacking innocent families. Therefore it is partly my fault that she has no other family to go to since the Death Eaters we have not yet captured killed them all. The least I can do right now is give her a home after her father's been captured."

"Very well," Bagnold said. "Charlus Potter, you are responsible for Cassidy Hunter to get all of her school things and you must make sure that she gets on that train to Hogwarts."

"I have a vault," I said. "I can pay for-"

"There is no need for that," Mr. Potter interrupted quickly. "I am more than willing to pay for all your expenses."

"No, please, Mr. Potter, I cant let you-"

"Cassie," Mr. Potter sighed. "Forgive me, but your father was never much of a money maker. I believe your vault contains no more than a few Galleons. I volunteered to give you a home. I will pay for everything you need and there is nothing you can say to change my mind."

Badnold checked her watch. "I have another meeting with the Deapartment of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Charlus, bring her to your home and let her get settled in. Return immediately after. You are excused from work tomorrow to bring her to Diagon Alley but I expect you to be here on the first early morning."

* * *

><p>Compared to the little shack I used to live in, the Potter manor was a castle. Mr. Potter led me into the manor, carrying my trunk which he got from a pudgy little man called Topman in the Ministry, and the smell of baked cookies entered my nose. A pretty brown-haired woman appeared with an apron around her waist.<p>

"Charlus? Who's this?" she asked with a kind smile.

"I have a load of explaining to do, dear," Mr. Potter said with a chuckle then he turned to me. "Cassie, would you mind waiting here in the living room for a while?"

"That's no problem, Mr. Potter," I said politely. "Thank, really, for everything."

Mr. Potter smiled and walked with his wife in the kitchen. I looked around the living room. There were many pictures in frames and one portrait. It was of a boy who was about eleven. His black hair stuck up in different directions but it somehow made him look more attractive. His green-brown eyes looked familiar. Then I realized he must have had the same eyes as Mr. Potter. A warm hazel. This must have been Mr. and Mrs. Potter's son.

The boy looked down at me from his portrait, his eyes narrowing and his eyebrows furrowed. Then the real-life boy came running down the stairs, yelling.

"MUM! MUM, I GOT THE LETTER! BUT THERE'S TWO! WHAT DO I DO WITH THE OTHER ONE?"

When he reached the the first floor, he spotted me and immediately stopped running. He looked a lot older than his portrait. His messy hair was longer and he had a sort of mischievous aura around him. His hazel eyes narrowed like his portrait did.

"Who're you?" he asked rather rudely.

Then Mr. and Mrs. Potter walked out of the kitchen.

"James, be nice," Mr. Potter scolded him. "This is Cassie Hunter. She'll be staying with us for a while."

James's head snapped up to meet his father's eyes. "Why?"

"Because she doesn't have a home to go to now," Mrs. Potter answered. "We're offering her one until a wizard family will be able to adopt her."

"Now, I must be getting back to work," Mr. Potter said. "James, your mother will be cooking so you better show Cassie one of the guest rooms. The one on your floor, I suggest."

And Mr. Potter pulled out his wand and disapparated. Mrs. Potter was already back inside the kitchen. James glared at me for a while then walked back upstairs. I stayed where I was, watching him. He looked back looking annoyed.

"Well?" he snapped. "Do you want to see where you're sleeping or not? Or maybe you'd like to sleep over there; that's fine with me."

"_James_!" came Mrs. Potter's voice from the kitchen.

James sighed irritatedly and motioned me with his hand to follow him upstairs. I picked up the trunk Mr. Potter had carried in for me and tried to bring it upstairs. After the third step, I was already sweaty and gasping for breath. I saw James look up at the sky muttering, "Why me? Why _me_?"

He looked down at my tired face and sighed. He stomped down and grabbed my trunk with both his hands. He dragged it up with him and left me down there so fast that I couldn't even saw my thank you. I smiled and followed him upstairs. James's room wasn't on the second floor or the third floor. It was on the fourth floor and we had to walk up a load of steps to get there.

James didn't even look like he was breaking a sweat. When we reached the highest floor, I faced a long carpeted hallway. There was a door on the left and a door on the right, facing each other. The one on the right had big plaque that said '**JAMES**'. The one on the left had no plaque at all and the door looked rather dusty as though nobody goes in there often.

James opened the door and dropped my trunk inside. He gave me a short annoyed nod and left before I could say goodbye. He entered his own room and slammed the door behind him, muttering furiously. I entered my own room. It was carpeted with cream colored walls. There was giant four poster bed with a bunch of multicolored pillows and blankets. Two side tables were set on either side of it, each with it's own lamp. A long mahogany desk was stuck on the wall with an office chair under it. There was another door inside the room.

I opened it and faced a large gleaming bathroom. There was a bathtub and a shower. There was already a stack of clean white towels beside the tub and inside the shower, there was someone cleaning it. A tiny elf turned it's head and it's big round blue eyes met my green ones and we both screamed at the same time.

I ran out of the bathroom only to see James Potter with his wand out looking alarmed.

"What the fuck?" he exclaimed. "What the bloody hell happened?"

"There is an elf in my bathroom!" I said shakily.

James dropped his arm to his side and the expression on his face screamed 'Are you fucking kidding me?'

"That's just Julie!" he grumbled as he put his wand in the back pocket of his jeans.

"Julie?" I exclaimed. "You have pet elf?"

"'Course not!" James snapped looking offended. "We don't keep house elves as pets! What is wrong with you?"

"House elves?" I asked. "What are they? Maids of the Wizarding world?"

"Sorta like that, yeah," James muttered as he walked inside my bathroom.

The elf, Julie, was cowering inside the shower.

"Master James!" I said standing up with it's wide eyes.

"Hiya, Julie," James said sweetly and I felt a flutter in the pit of my stomach. "Look, it's all right. She's Master Charlus's guest."

Then Julie smiled and stood up. She walked to me and I realized that she did look like a maid. She was wearing a clean black and white maid's dress with the Potter crest knitted on it.

"Julie is very sorry for scaring Master Charlus's guest!" she said with wide teary eyes.

"Oh, no. Don't cry," I said hastily. "It's fine, really! Thanks for cleaning the bathroom, Julie."

"It is Julie's job, Miss! May Julie ask Miss's name?" she asked with joy.

"I'm Cassie Hunter," I said.

"It is an honor to meet you, Miss! But Mistress Dorea is in need of help!"

And Julie disappeared with a pop. I turned to find James but he had already gone. I wondered why even came here in the first place. He couldn't have heard my scream. It wasn't really that loud.

I walked back to the bedroom and saw a thick envelope on the bed. I walked quickly to it and lifted it up to get a better look at the writings.

_Ms. C. Hunter_

_Biggest Guest Room, Fourth Floor,_

_The Potter Manor,_

_Maryfields,_

_Oxfordshire_

I flipped the letter and saw a blood red seal with an H on it. I ripped the letter open and read.

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL **_of _**WITCHCRAFT **_and _**WIZARDRY**

Headmaster**: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE**

**(**_Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards_**)**

**Dear Miss Hunter,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.**

**Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Note that you will be joining the first years to the boats and the sorting.**

**Term begins on September 1.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall.**

**Deputy Headmistress**

I dropped the letter on the bed and picked up the second piece of parchment. It was the list of things I needed to buy for Hogwarts. So this was the second letter James was shouting about a few moments ago. I wondered if James was going with us. Probably. His parents would obviously make him go. Then I heard a loud pop.

I quickly turned around only to see Julie, the house elf, again.

"Mistress Dorea is calling Miss Hunter for supper," she said. "Mistress also said to call Master James."

And with another pop, she was gone. I looked at myself in the mirror of the room to make sure I looked presentable to Mr. and Mrs. Potter for dinner. After all the things they've done for me, the least I could do was not look like a rag doll. I swiftly took the hairbrush on the desk and brushed my blonde hair. I made sure the knots were were gone and it fell down in soft curls.

I held back a sob. Looking at myself in the mirror, I realized just how much I looked like my mother. Despite the color of my eyes, they were the same shape. My blond hair fell down my back like hers did when it wasn't in a bun. It fell down in tiny ringlets like hers did. My sharp features were the exact replica of hers.

I tied it up in a tight ponytail so that way, I didn't look too much like her. I left the room to call for James.

I stood in front of the door that said '**JAMES**'. I didn't know whether to knock or just barge in and announce dinner. I decided to knock since the boy already disliked me.

"What?" James snapped when his head appeared.

"I-It's dinner time," I stuttered looking down at the carpeted floor.

"Fine, tell mum I'll be down in a minute."

"Hey, James, who's-" came a different voice from inside the room.

I frowned as James shushed the voice. He turned back to me.

"That's just a friend. Now, go to dinner."

And he slammed the door on my face. I walked down the stairs and reached the dining table. Mrs. Potter smiled kindly at me as she put a plate of roast beef in the middle.

"James probably has his friend, Sirius Black, over," Mrs. Potter said sitting down on one of the chairs.

Before I could ask who Sirius Black was, James entered the room. He narrowed his eyes at me and sat on the chair in front of his mother.

"Sit anywhere you want, Cassie," Mrs. Potter said kindly.

I turned to walk to the chair beside James but his eyes flashed murderously before I could move. I blinked and walked to the chair beside Mrs. Potter instead. Then Mr. Potter popped in the room, sitting on the chair at the end of the table. We started to eat and Mr. Potter started a conversation with me.

"Cassie, did you manage to settle in?" he asked with a kind smile.

"Yes, thank you, really," I said, cutting my thick slice of beef.

"You're staying in the room on the fourth floor, am I correct?"

I nodded with my mouth full.

"That's great, Cassie. We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow. Breakfast is at eight and we're leaving before ten."

James's spoon dropped on his plate with a clatter.

"Wait, hang on there for a second," he said as he messed up his already messy black hair. "_She's_ coming with us?"

"Of course she is, James," Mrs. Potter said sternly. "She's attending Hogwarts as well. In your year."

"My- _My_ year?" James said in an unusually high voice.

"She's your age. Of course, your year." Mr. Potter said.

"Can this year get any worse?" James muttered to himself as he started to eat again.

Mrs. Potter sent him a glare and Mr. Potter looked at him disapprovingly. I didn't mind really. Since I was sent to a Muggle school when I was young, weird things happened around me and people never wanted to be with me so I was used to these kinds of things.

James returned to his room shortly after his discussion about me with his parents. I followed him a few minutes after that. I reached the fourth floor and I heard two voices from James's room. I stopped right in front of his door and listened.

"-don't know what dad was thinking," James said.

"Surely Mr. Potter's explained to you why she's here?" another boy spoke up.

"Of course not," James spat. "They love keeping me in the dark. Anyway, that girl's going to be with us for fourth year."

"She's our age?"

"Apparently so."

"Maybe she's not all bad, you know. I mean, you did just meet her."

James snorted. "You've been hanging around Moony too much, mate."

"We all do," the other boy said.

"But of course, we should always look at the good side of things," James said and I could imagine him with a cold grin on his face because of the tone of his voice. "She's one student who has no idea what we're capable of."

"So that means-"

"She's a new target," James said finishing his friend's sentence. "It's nearly time, mate. See you tomorrow?"

"'Course. Who cares 'bout what _they_ think?" the boy said bitterly.

"You'll be okay, though?" James asked with sincerity in his voice that made me feel a tiny flutter in the pit of my stomach. "You're not going if you're going to get hurt."

"I'll be fine. Don't worry, James. You're worse than Moony!" the boy laughed.

I thought the boy would exit James's room so I quickly walked in my own silently. But I didn't hear anyone stepping out of the room. All I heard was a faint '_woosh_' and all was quiet again. The boy in the room must have been the 'Sirius Black' Mrs. Potter mentioned. Black… Where did I hear that before? Why did the name sound so familiar?

But I didn't let me bother me. It was an early night but I was feeling more tired than ever. I pulled out my pajamas and changed into them. I lay down on the soft bed and thought about my father. I wondered what was happening to him right now.

Right now, he must have been in a cell in Azkaban, the wizard prison, because of rape and murder. I wondered what made him do it. Why would he do that do those poor Muggle woman? What happened to the sweet father who tucked me in when I was four?

Did he deserve the punishment he got?

I blinked the tears out of my eyes and swallowed the big lump on my throat. I shook my head furiously when I realized I was hesitating to answer that question that suddenly appeared in my head. Of course he did. He deserved the trial. He deserved the punishment. He deserved a lifetime in Azkaban.

* * *

><p><strong>Please, tell me what you think :)<strong>


	2. A Difficult Favor

**A Difficult Favor**

_With her father's arrest, Cassie warily tries to fit in with the Potters. Mr. and Mrs Potter seem nice but she's bound to face problems with her growing infatuation of their handsome but rude son James who absolutely loathes her and questions her existence._

* * *

><p>"You don't look at my friends; You don't talk to my friends; You touch my friends; You don't smell my friends, we clear?"<p>

"Why would I want to smell-"

"Zip it!"

"But I was just-"

"I said zip it, Hunter," James snapped.

And he entered the Leaky Cauldron leaving me in the street. I took a deep breath and followed him inside.

My first thought about the Wizarding pub was dull. The place had a gloomy feeling in it and the people drinking and eating didn't match. They all seemed to know each other. They greeted every witch and wizard that passed them. They all seemed to know the barman as well.

"'Morning, lass," the barman greeted me. "What can I do for ya?"

"It's fine, thank you," I said.

I stood on my tiptoes to find James but his messy hair wasn't anywhere in the crowd. I sighed. I should have known he would find the first opportunity to leave me. I turned back to the barman.

"By any chance, have you seen boy, fourteen years old, messy hair, glasses-"

"Oh, you mean James Potter?" the barman said cheerfully. "'Course I've seen him! Here all the time, he is! My best customer! Funny lad, that James Potter. He and his friends, always entertaining the nice blokes here!"

"Yeah, that's him. Have you seen him around?" I asked.

"Just passed by a few minutes ago!" he replied. "Looked like he was in a hurry, he was. Told me he was just passing by. Wonder what he's up to this time…"

"But where exactly did he go?"

"Diagon Alley, of course! Where else?"

Diagon Alley. James was supposed to show me around that place. His parents told him so. Mr. Potter was called back to work early this morning because of a mishap in the Ministry. Mrs. Potter had to stay in St. Mungo's because of a patient having a nasty accident.

Despite having a Gringotts account in Diagon Alley, the last time I have been there was when I was seven years old because my father managed to convince my mother to bring me there. That was the first and last time I stepped in that place. Now that I was back here in the Leaky Cauldron, I had no idea where to go.

"How exactly do I get to Diagon Alley?" I asked.

The barman looked at me weirdly.

"Say, are you new here?"

"Well, I haven't been here in a while, you see?" I said quickly.

"Hey, Tom!"

I jumped and turned to see who had joined me in talking to the barman whose name was apparently Tom. It was a boy who looked no older than my age. His sandy hair was short and cut unevenly but it didn't give him a bad look. The bags under his chocolate brown eyes gave him a sad appearance but he was smiling nonetheless.

"Ah, Remus!" Tom said delightedly then he turned back to me. "Speaking of James Potter, lass, this is one of his friends I was talking about!"

I squeaked. I cursed repeatedly in my head. Why must I be the unluckiest person in the world? I enter the Leaky Cauldron only to find out that James has left me and I run into the person who James told me not to look at, talk to, touch or smell.

"I just need to know where the entrance to Diagon Alley is," I said desperately to Tom.

He blinked. "It's just around the back. Remus, why don't you show her?"

"No!" I said quickly.

"It's all right. I was going there anyway," Remus said kindly.

I stared at the ceiling, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Come on, this way."

He walked away from Tom after saying goodbye and I knew I had no choice but to follow him because it would look too suspicious. We left through the back door and I faced a brick wall. I willed myself not to look at Remus so I had no idea how a doorway formed to Diagon Alley.

"It was nice meet-"

But before Remus could finish that sentence, I had ran though the doorway and disappeared in the crowd. It was nearly impossible to walk through the alley without bumping someone once or twice. I stayed in front of a shop so I wouldn't be part of the moving crowd. I pulled out the list of things I needed to buy for fourth year. I decided to start with the books.

Diagon Alley hadn't changed drastically since I was last here. But I couldn't remember all the shops and where they were. I turned around to see the shop I was standing in front of. The sign said Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter went overboard in giving me money. I had a big money bag of Galleons and Mr. and Mrs. Potter wouldn't take no for an answer when they offered it to me. They said I could buy anything I wanted but I didn't want to take advantage of their kindness. I felt my stomach rumble.

_Stop it, _I thought. I was not hungry. I would eat back in the Potter manor later. I couldn't just spend this money on something that I wanted. So I turned my back on the ice cream parlour and tried to find the book shop.

That part was easy. I entered Flourish and Blotts and the smell of parchment entered my nose. I was never very fond of books; much less reading them. I approached the red-haired manager.

"Hogwarts?" she asked. "What year?"

I nodded.

"Fourth year."

The woman pulled out a set of books in a paper bag. They were pretty expensive too. I bit my lip thinking about buying a set of secondhand books. Then Mrs. Potter's words filled my head.

_If I see anything secondhand, I'll throw them out buy you a new set._

"Fourth year, huh?" the manager said looking at my booklist. "Funny, I've never seen you step in my shop. Hmm… Maybe you just grew."

Sighing, I paid the manager and left the shop.

Buying my things didn't take too long. I didn't linger in the apothecary. I left before the smell got to me. Buying quills and parchment was easy enough and getting my equipment was a piece of cake. I remember Mr. Potter telling me that he was the one who chose my electives last night because I was already asleep when he came up to my room to ask me about it.

Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures didn't sound bad. But I would have picked Muggle Studies since that would be an automatic outstanding.

At last, I only needed a wand. When my father was teaching me magic when we were in hiding, he let me use his old wand when he was sixteen. It never worked properly for me. He told me it was because I never 'won' the wand from him and it probably wasn't the right wand for me.

I have never been into Mr. Ollivander's wand shop but when I first stepped into the gloomy place, I wished I never did. Mr. Ollivander was a creepy fail old man with silver eyes that examined me the first time I walked in his shop.

"May I ask for your name?" he asked in a shaky high tone.

"I'm Cassidy Hunter, sir," I answered trying not to meet his silver eyes.

"You are here to get your first wand, I presume?"

I nodded at the floor. He examined me for a while before disappearing into the numerous bookshelves. He came back with a bunch of long thin boxes in his arms. He pulled out a wand from one of the boxes and handed it to me.

"Exactly twelve inches, cedar and unicorn tail hair," Mr. Ollivander explained. "This wand is quite the challenging one. Stiff, but great for defensive spells. Go on; give it a wave."

But before I could move my arm, Mr. Ollivander snatched the wand out of my hand and put it back in its box.

"No, not that…" he muttered to himself.

This went on for a few more minutes. After the seventh wand I tried, I started to grow impatient. Mr. Ollivander pulled a handsome-looking wand from its box. I prayed silently that this would finally be the wand I would own.

"Eleven and three quarters, hazel, dragon heartstring, reasonably springy," he said.

I took the wand from him and an unfamiliar warmth spread through my finger as I held it. Gold sparks erupted from the tip and I grinned. Mr. Ollivander looked at me with curiosity.

"Hazel wands do attract my interest," he said taking the wand from me and examined it. "Wands of this wood work best with those who can manage their own feelings. It would be best to stay away from a hazel wand carrier when they have just recently lost their temper or are seriously disappointed. But despite its unpredictability, this wand, especially since it is being paired with dragon heartstring, will perform such outstanding magic in the hands of the skillful."

He placed the wand back inside its box and handed it to me.

"I suggest you take care of that wand, Miss Hunter," Mr. Ollivander said looking at me directly in the eye. "Hazel wands are quite the loyal wands as well. When their master's life ends, the wand will simply…. die, if I must say. Now, that's seven Galleons."

I counted seven gold coins and handed it to him. After thanking him, I left the shop and walked back to the Leaky Cauldron. I felt my stomach rumble as I walked. It was lunchtime and I was starving. Walking to the Leaky Cauldron wasn't helping.

I held two boxes that was filled with all my books and equipment for school. They weren't very light either. When I finally reached the brick wall, I face paled. I cursed continuously in my head for not watching Remus open the doorway.

Then as if on cue, the brick wall revealed the doorway and I smiled, silently thanking whoever opened it. But my smiled was wiped off my face when I saw those who did open it. I started to panic.

But before I could do anything to hide myself, one of them saw me. The one person who made me feel butterflies in my stomach and also the one person who hated my guts. I saw the panic in his hazel eyes in seeing me. He pushed his friends back inside the pub and closed the back door behind him without looking back at me.

I exhaled then I saw the doorway starting to close. I slipped inside before it did and walked in the pub. I spotted James and his friends right away. They were seated in one of the tables in the corner and nobody was sitting on the tables surrounding them as though everyone knew they needed some privacy.

I ducked behind a group of witches talking amiably to each other. I dropped the boxes I was holding beside the fireplace and stood up straight again. Before I stepped into the fireplace to floo back to the Potter manor, I turned around to look at James and his friends.

They were four in all and I could recognize Remus out of the four. Seated beside him was a chubby little boy with small watery blue eyes.

The other boy seated at the table made my heart skip a beat. His sat up tall and his face showed confidence like James' usually did. He had dark sleek hair that fell above his stormy gray eyes. He laughed at something James said and James smacked him in the head.

"That's Sirius Black."

I jumped and turned around. A girl who looked my age stood behind me with a grin on her face. Her flaming red hair was straight and layered as it fell on her shoulders. She wore a pair of thick-rimmed glasses that I usually saw as sunglasses

"You know him?" I asked.

"Who doesn't know him?" she said with a dreamy sigh. "He's the most popular boy in Hogwarts. Together with James Potter."

I felt butterflies in my stomach. I mentally cursed them. I turned back to the table and saw them laughing together again. So that was the 'Sirius Black' Mrs. Potter mentioned. I wasn't surprised that he was the 'most popular boy in Hogwarts' as the red-haired girl had said. He did looked like he was part of the 'popular people'.

"You look my age," the girl said looking at me with curiosity. "I haven't seen you around Hogwarts, though. D'you go to a different school?"

"I'm starting Hogwarts this year," I replied.

Her eyes widened. "Are you? That's amazing! I haven't met anyone starting in Hogwarts who's not eleven! What year?"

"Fourth."

"Brilliant!" she said ecstatically. "I'm fourth year too! Have you been sorted? Wait, no, don't answer that question. Of course not, you'll be sorted when you get there. I'm Florence Flanagan, by the way."

"I'm Cassie Hunter," I said chuckling at her excitement. "What do you mean about getting sorted?"

Florence looked at me weirdly. "Are you a Muggle-born? Why are you starting so late anyway?"

"It's actually a pretty long story…"

"It's all right! I've got all the time you need!" she said happily.

"I was actually going to go back… er… home to eat lunch, you see," I said awkwardly.

"You can eat lunch here!"

Then Florence grabbed my arm and dragged up the stairs. I hadn't even noticed there were stairs in this place. We face a long hallway with doors on each side, numbers carved into them. We entered the door that said '5'.

The room was shabby but Florence managed to keep it neat. There were two single beds and Florence sat on one of them. She patted the space in front of her and nodded to me. I sat in front of her and looked at me expectantly. Then her brown eyes widened.

"Of course, lunch!" she exclaimed then she called, "Carrie!"

A house-elf appeared in the room.

"What would Miss Flanagan have for today?" she squeakily asked.

"There are house-elves here?" I asked in surprise.

"Just a few," Florence said. "Is a turkey sandwich and pumpkin juice good for you?"

I nodded.

"That's two for each then, Carrie. Thank you!"

The house-elf disappeared and after a few seconds, she reappeared again with two plates, a large turkey sandwich on each one, and two goblets of pumpkin juice. We ate our sandwiches on the bed.

"How do you know a house-elf here?" I asked curiously. "You here often?"

"Actually, I am," Florence said smiling. "During the summer, my sister and I stay here all the time. She works in Flourish and Blotts."

I thought about the red-haired manager in the book shop I entered this morning. Could she possibly be the sister of Florence?

"Why don't you stay with your parents?" I asked but immediately regretted it when she answered.

"They're divorced," Florence said no longer smiling. "My sister got pretty mad when they did and left with me. I live with her now. She has a flat here in London. What about you? Where do you live?"

I blinked. I couldn't say where I used to live with my father when we were in hiding. That would just leave to more awkward questions. I thought about the Potter manor. When I called it my home a few moments ago, the word felt foreign in my mouth. I was only staying there until a magical family was willing to bring me in their home. But hasn't that already happened? And what if no other magical family would take me? Did that mean the Potters would be forced to take me in? What if they didn't want to? James certainly didn't.

"Oxfordshire," I said simply.

"Oxfordshire?" Florence said looking excited again. "Have you heard of Maryfields?"

I frowned at her and she seemed to have noticed this.

"That's where James Potter lives, you see?" she continued.

I blinked. This girl knew where James Potter lived. Why in the world would she know? Was she friends with him? Jealousy filled me but I immediately tried to ignore it. Florence had been the kindest person to me today (Besides Mr. and Mrs. Potter). I couldn't hate her just because of a petty crush.

"So how come you know where James Potter lives?" I asked.

She laughed. "I know where Sirius Black lives too! Well, I don't know the exact place because apparently it's very well hidden. He lives in the London borough of Islington."

I tried not to laugh. "Are you three friends?"

"Oh, God no!" she said with a snort. "I wish I was worthy."

"They're students; not the kings of England," I stated.

"They're the kings of Hogwarts, that's what," she said dreamily.

"Are you serious?" I said trying to keep my face straight. "They're fourth year!"

"Of course I'm serious! Cassie, you have no idea how they're being treated in Hogwarts! People look up to them! So little people actually dislike them! Girls would kill to be able to talk to them!"

"Kill?"

Florence rolled her eyes. "Well, not kill. Injure, maybe."

"I think you're just exaggerating a bit."

"Oh, you'll see," she said with a chuckle. "They've got this group called the Marauders. Everyone loves them. Even the teachers do despite the fact that they're the biggest troublemakers in school. I would do anything for Sirius Black to notice me." Florence sighed and shook her like this was impossible.

Then she snapped out of her dream-like state and grinned at me.

"Well, enough about the boys! What about you? Why are you starting Hogwarts so late?"

"I used to be taught at home," I said simply. "Then… er… a family problem came up so I was forced to study at Hogwarts by the Ministry."

"You said it was a long story."

"The family problem part is."

"Mhm…"

And there was awkward silence. Our plates and goblets were empty and I awkwardly fiddled with the bed cover.

"Hey, I know we just met and all but do you think you can help me out?" Florence suddenly asked.

My eyebrows shot up. "What can I help you with?"

"I've been fawning over Sirius Black for years now," she said. "But no luck whatsoever. The only time he actually talked to me was during second year when he dropped his quill going to Potions and he didn't notice. I picked it up and gave it back to him. He said thanks and ran off." She sighed dreamily again. "He said it so nicely and he looked so handsome that day."

"So you want me to help you get Sirius Black to notice you."

"Well, no not really," Florence said grinning. "I just want to get to know him."

"How?"

"I've been trying follow him around to get tiny details. Like if he's dating anyone or if he's going home for Christmas…"

"So you want me to help you stalk Sirius Black," I said slowly.

Florence's grin grew wider if that was even possible. "That's exactly what I want you to do."

* * *

><p>I could stare breathlessly at the scarlet Hogwarts Express all day if I could. It looked magnificent. Mist swirled around it and the chatter of families on the platform filled my ears. A rowdy kid would bump me once or twice but I stood my ground, staring at the Hogwarts Express with my mouth agape.<p>

Mr. and Mrs. Potter had apparated James and me to the platform (which was called platform nine and three quarters and I didn't have time to ask why it was called that). James had left as soon as his parents did without even saying goodbye or excuse me to me.

When I heard the whistle, I excitedly picked up my trunk and dragged it towards the scarlet train. I found an empty compartment near the end of the train and with difficulty, I pulled my trunk up and sat down on the comfortable couch. I saw numerous children and teenagers sticking their head out to say goodbye to their families.

I sighed, suddenly missing my mother. She would be so sad that I was leaving, yes. But proud of me as well. She loved my father as a wizard and loved me as a witch. I felt tears fill my eyes and immediately wiped them. Thinking about my mother wont accomplish anything. She was gone. Thinking about her wont make her come back.

There was a knock on my compartment door. It was Florence, her big brown eyes just as cheerful as it was yesterday in the Leaky Cauldron. Atop her perfectly styled red hair was a maroon beret. Her thick-rimmed glasses seemed to change color since yesterday. Instead of black, they were blood red now. She held a small instant film camera in her hands. If I didn't know any better, I would have said she looked like a journalist.

"Hi, Cassie!" she said cheerfully.

Florence entered my compartment and I realized she looked much taller than before. I frowned. Was it possible to grow three to four inches in a day?

Then I realized she wore a pair of silver heels. I noticed she wore a short white summer dress inside her traveling cloak.

"Hullo, Florence," I said trying not to laugh at her outfit.

"'Operation: Get To Know Sirius Black And His Friends' starts today," Florence said grinning.

"What do I do?" I asked warily.

"You stay beside their compartment pretending to read this magazine!"

She pulled out a fashion magazine for witches and threw it to me.

"They'll notice me!"

"Do they know you?" she asked.

"Well…. I think I ran into James Potter once," I said slowly choosing my words carefully.

Florence rolled her eyes and took her beret off. She put it on my head. She took her odd giant glasses off and gave it to me.

"Go on," she said encouragingly. "Don't worry, they're magical."

I put them on and surprisingly, I could see the same.

"Do you have perfect eyesight?" I asked frowning.

"Of course not," Florence said with a snort. "They're magical. If you have perfect eyesight then they wont affect you. Now go! Oh, wait! Here's a quill and parchment! You better right all the important details! Don't worry about the quill; that has enough ink!"

She pulled me out of the compartment and I had no choice but to find the Marauders' compartment myself. That wasn't so hard. Their compartment wasn't very far from ours. There were many students staying outside in the hallway so I had to squeeze in between two couples to be able to stand right beside the Marauders' compartment. I set the magazine in front of my face.

Florence must have been stalking these boys for quite a while to know that their voices would be heard from outside.

"You think Evans would say yes to me this year, Sirius?" I heard James ask.

I frowned from behind the magazine. Evans? Who was this 'Evans'?

"Are you kidding?" Sirius Black's voice came. "Of course she wont! She hates you!"

"Thanks for that," James said sarcastically.

I pulled out the quill and parchment. I wrote down 'Evans'.

"Hey, Moony, you don't look so good," a timid voice came.

"I'm all right, Peter," another voice said.

That was Remus. And the chubby little boy I saw in the Leaky Cauldron must have been Peter. I wondered why he was called Moony. I wrote that down on the parchment.

"Is it… your furry little problem again?" James asked, his voice dropping so low that I had to lean closer to the door to hear it.

I blinked. _Furry Little Problem - Moony - Remus (?)_, I wrote down.

"Can we talk about this in the dorm later?" Remus said.

"Yeah, of course," Sirius agreed. "I have something really important to share to you guys later."

"What is it?" Peter piped up.

"I said later, didn't I, Pete?" Sirius snapped.

"Right… I have to go to the bathroom."

Gasping, I flattened myself on the wall and put the magazine in front of my face again. I heard the compartment door open and someone exiting it. The footsteps kept going and I glanced to my left to see if he was gone. I exhaled when his back disappeared and listened again.

"How many days, Moony?" James asked.

"Three," said Remus. "Lucky it's on a saturday."

_Remus - Three days (?), _I wrote.

"When are tryouts, James?" Sirius asked.

"Next week saturday," James answered. "You trying out?"

"Finch is gone isn't he?"

"Yeah, we need a beater."

"I'll give it a shot," Sirius said.

_Sirius trying out for beater next week saturday, _I wrote. But as I wrote, I didn't hear Sirius saying he was going out. When I heard the compartment door opened, my heart sped up and before I could even turn my head to see him, he bumped right into me.

I fell down and the parchment, quill and magazine lay on the floor beside me. I saw Sirius looking at me curiously. James and Remus left their compartment to see what happened. The second James laid his eyes on me, I knew I was dead meat.

Ah, shit.

* * *

><p><em>Doing Florence Flanagan's favor was a lot harder than Cassie expected it to be. But little did the two girls know, this little operation of theirs would lead them to figuring out the Marauders' deepest and darkest secrets. But of course, that would take years. Oh joy.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>Please tell me what you think :)<strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series and the characters in it.**


	3. Surprise, Surprise

**Surprise, Surprise**

_Rule #1: To be a stalker, you must have a disguise ready at all times._

* * *

><p>Before I could burst into tears at James' menacing stare, I bolted. I picked my things up first of course. <em>Then<em> I bolted. I ran into chubby little Peter on my way back to my compartment. I ran past him without apologizing. When I finally reached my compartment, Florence suddenly appeared out of thin air with her camera.

"Holy fuck!" I exclaimed gaining the attention of a few students near us in the hallway.

Florence pulled me in the compartment with her.

"That didn't go so well," she said sighing.

"I bloody well know it didn't go so well," I snapped. "Care to explain why exactly you just appear out of nowhere?"

"I was under an invisibility cloak obviously," Florence said with a roll of her eyes and lifted a cloak with her hand that I didn't notice before.

My own eyes widened in wonder, completely forgetting that I was angry at her.

"You have an invisibility cloak?" I asked with obvious interest and eyes as big as Galleons.

Florence chuckled. "No, not the real one. I just like to call it that. My aunt gives me one every year, see? She's the one who charms it and all but it wears out eventually."

"So you were hiding under that cloak the whole time?" I said exasperatedly. "Why didn't you let me in?"

"Because only one person can fit in it," Florence said with a shrug. "Anyway, I didn't think you would be seen."

"Well I was," I snapped raking my hair with my fingers. "That was so embarrassing! What if they figure out I was spying on them? I bloody well looked like I was spying on them! And James recognized me! Even with the glasses and hat!"

Florence seemed to remember that I was still wearing her stuff and took them back from me. She wore her glasses and she started to blink rapidly as though trying to get used to wearing the glasses again.

"My eyes have gone worse," she muttered. "I knew I shouldn't have took these off. Anyway, I was taking pictures of the boys while you were listing down everything they were saying."

She pulled out fully-developed pictures from her pocket and handed them to me. I had to admit, that instant film camera of hers was amazing.

The first picture was of James, he was nervously looking at Sirius (whose back was shown in the picture) with his hand up in his hair, ruffling it. I resisted the urge to sigh. The boy was gorgeous. I stared at his nervous look for a few more seconds before looking at the next picture.

The next was of Sirius Black. His hair was just as sleek and amazing as ever. His gray eyes were filled with delight. He was rocking back and forth on his chair with laughter. Remus was beside him looking amused as he shook his head.

Next was the four boys looking nervous and they were whispering. Three boys' eyes were all on Remus. The next and last was of Sirius standing above me looking confused. I saw myself looking scared to death. Looking at my own picture made me realize how ridiculous I looked with Florence's beret and glasses. It looked much better on her.

"Why do you need their pictures?" I asked looking up at her.

"It's a mission!" Florence said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "All missions should have pictures."

"You're not making any sense."

"I just want their pictures, all right?" she snapped.

I chuckled.

* * *

><p>It took me a while to finally get Florence to take her high heels off and replace it with a pair of black school shoes. She was forced out of her dress as well because she needed to wear the school uniform.<p>

But I stepped off the train in my plain black uniform (Because I had no house yet) and tried to look for some first years. Florence wished me good luck on my sorting and ran off to one of the horseless carriages.

I started to panic when I couldn't find any tiny first year. Then I heard a loud booming voice over the crowd.

"Firs' years, over 'ere!"

Turning to find who the low gruff voice belonged to, I accidentally bumped into a red-haired girl. I nearly said Florence's name out loud then I realized this girl wasn't Florence. Her hair was a much darker shade of red. She was looking down at the ground when she bumped into me and she irritatedly looked up, her bright emerald eyes meeting my own dark forest green ones.

"Potter, I told you watch where-"

Then she stopped when she realized I wasn't 'Potter'. She said Potter like the name itself was a dirty cockroach.

"Oh, sorry," she said still sounding a bit irritated. "I thought you were Potter. You know him?"

"Well, if you're talking about James Potter-"

"Yeah, that's him," she said. "Such an arrogant toe-rag, he is."

I was already beginning to dislike this girl.

"How is he an arrogant toe-rag?" I asked.

"Well, he keeps cursing and insulting my best friend! And he keeps asking me out!" she ranted.

"Do you say yes?"

"Of course not! It's like he doesn't know the meaning of no! Probably not. Growing up with filthy rich parents, he's probably never heard that word in his life being the spoiled brat he is."

"I don't think you know much of his home life so it's probably best if you don't judge him too quickly," I said coldly.

The redhead looked taken aback at my tone. I heard the gruff voice call for first years again and I walked towards the voice without another word. Then I heard the girl say something that made me stop in my tracks.

"Must be of one of Potter's fangirls," she muttered walking away.

I turned only to see no one there. The redhead had already left before I could curse her. I fumed silently to myself as I followed a couple of tiny first years as they approached the loud voice calling for them.

I wasn't one of James Potter's fangirls, was I? That was Florence. Except Florence was for Sirius. But was I like her? Did I fawn over James like she did over Sirius? Did I continuously talk about James to Florence? No. I never did. I wondered if she even knew about my infatuation for the messy-haired Potter.

Why did I even fancy him?

The question echoed in my head as I followed the first years who followed a giant of a man. For once, I didn't feel very curious. I was too into my thoughts to care.

So why did I? He hasn't been at his nicest whenever it came to me. If I was normal, I would hate him for being so rude to me. But I didn't hate him. And I didn't know why.

We had reached the edge of a lake. A couple of boats were by the shore.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I heard the giant man say that only four were allowed in one boat. Before I could join any first year in their boat, the giant man stopped me. I resisted the urge to sigh out in relief. I looked at his face clearly for the first time. His hair and beard covered most of his face but I could see a pair of soft black eyes staring at me.

"Yeh mus' be Cassidy Hunter then, eh?" he asked.

I nodded and he motioned for me to join the first years in one of the boats. A boat already had three so I joined them there. The boats started to move and I tried not to think about it. I closed my eyes and muttered comforting words to myself. I gripped the sides of the boat tightly and I heard a crack.

"Um… Excuse me?" I heard a soft voice.

Opening my eyes, I saw that the voice belonged to a boy who sat tall on his seat and his blue eyes showed concern.

"Hi," I squeaked.

"Well, you're gripping the boat pretty hard," he stated.

I resisted to pull a sarcastic face and give him a sarcastic "Oh, you don't say?"

Instead, I sighed and loosened my hold of the boat. I noticed the wood cracked a bit and my hands were red.

"You're not a first year."

Congratulations, Cassie. You've just met Captain Obvious. You may now use your sarcastic remarks about his statement.

I shook my head. He was just a first year after all.

"Yeah, I'm not," I said with a chuckle. "I'm starting my fourth year here."

"That's pretty cool," he said before turning back to look forward.

"There's Hogwarts for yeh lot," Hagrid boomed.

Hogwarts looked magnificent. I started breathlessly at the castle we slowly floated towards. It was huge and the castle's windows lit yellow. I've never been to a magical school before and I had to keep myself from jumping in excitement.

Of course, thinking about the fact that we were in the middle of the lake in a boat, I pushed the idea of jumping away since I would probably land in the ice-cold water.

I was never very fond of water. I remember my father telling me a resembled a cat because of my fear of going near it. I mean, I drink it just fine. But swimming in it? No. Swimming definitely was not my thing. Riding on boats was never my thing either. Seasickness was the worst kind of sickness for me.

When the boats finally stopped, I was the first one out of the boat. I stood farthest from the water and beside a pair of giant doors and a few first years watched me weirdly.

"You're a bit overreacting, don't ya think?" Captain Obvious said standing beside me.

"I'm more of a 'hiking up the mountains' kind of person," I replied.

"Nah, hiking isn't my thing," he said. "Quidditch is. Great game, Quidditch. Been playing it my whole life."

"Quidditch, eh? You pureblood?"

Before he could answer, the giant doors opened revealing a stern woman whose hair was tied back in a tight bun. She thanked Hagrid and ushered everyone into the castle.

When I first stepped in the entrance hall, no words could describe how much in awe I was. I stared around the huge hall. Torches were stuck on both sides of the wall. Another set of giant doors were at the end of the hall and the grand staircase was set not too far. We stopped in front of the doors in the hall and the stern woman faced us.

"I am Professor McGonagall," she said. "and I will be your Transfiguration teacher here in Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a place for learning; _not_ for creating shenanigans. But before you start to learn, you must be sorted first. There are four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. If I or any of the teachers catch any of you doing something against the rules, we will dock points from your house. If you deserve it, we will add points. These points will be added up by the end of the school year and whichever house has the most points will win the House Cup. I will fetch you in a while."

And she entered the next room. Murmuring filled the entrance hall and I tried not to listen to the first years around me who were discussing how they were going to get sorted into their houses. Most of them had pretty nasty ideas like taking a test about magic that we didn't even learn yet or battling a chimaera or taming a acromantula.

"Are you that thick?" Captain Obvious said nastily to a fellow petite first year. "We're obviously not going to battle a chimaera! We're going to put on a hat!"

"A hat?" the girl with the same tone. "That's rubbish!"

I rolled my eyes as they continued to argue. I turned my eyes to the giant doors again only to see translucent people pass through it. Their feet weren't touching the floor. They all seemed to be laughing about something.

Before I could think, a scream escaped my lips and alerted many first years behind me.

"Ah, first years, are you?" one chubby transparent person said cheerfully.

One of them, a man who had a cut on his neck and his hair ruffled, narrowed his eyes at me.

"You're not a first year, are you?" he asked kindly.

I opened my mouth to answer but Professor McGonagall had appeared again and shooed the transparent people away. They passed through the wall and to the other room.

"They're ghosts, aren't they?" I blurted out to Professor McGonagall.

A first year behind me snorted.

"Why don't you try walking through the wall and find out?" she said snottily.

Before I could snap at her, Professor McGonagall led us all inside the next room. My mouth dropped in shock.

Hundreds, no, thousands of candles floated above four long tables that were set vertically. Above the candles was a calm starry night sky. The students of Hogwarts followed us with their eyes. I could see the house crests knitted on their school robes. The High Table, where the teachers and the headmaster sat, was set horizontally in front. I could see the ghosts roaming around the hall and I even caught the eye of one. The one who asked me if I was a first year. He winked at me and drifted away to one of the tables with the red and gold crest.

In front of the High Table was a stool. And on the stool was an old battered and patched witch's hat. I gaped at it. Captain Obvious was right then. It did look like a hat was going to sort us. How? I didn't know. I looked left and right just to make sure there really were no chimaeras to battle and acromantulas to tame.

A cut on the hats brim opened like a mouth and it started to sing.

The first thought in my head was,_ SHIT HATS DONT SING_.

But apparently in Hogwarts, they do.

_Years and years ago,_

_The four great founders ruled this school,_

_Three righteous; one foe,_

_And they taught the shrewd and the fool._

_The four greatest wizards of the age,_

_Must have been as united and sturdy as a rock,_

_But Slytherin left and built a cage,_

_That only his heir could unlock._

_Before all the founders passed away,_

_They left me, insightful and enchanted,_

_And I am to say,_

_Where you should be landed._

_First, there is Gryffindor,_

_Where the bravest go,_

_Chivalry and honor,_

_Is what you must show._

_Ravenclaw is where curiosity grows,_

_And intelligence is always seen,_

_For Ravenclaw always knows,_

_Who has enough wit for the team._

_There is also the dedicated badger,_

_In Hufflepuff, you must be just and loyal,_

_The good traits of a student, you must capture,_

_For a Hufflepuff, must be moral._

_Fourth is Slytherin,_

_Where you meet your clever mates,_

_Those folk who're determined and cunning,_

_Look forward to their ambitious fates._

_You all must be familiar,_

_Of the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry,_

_Now I might ask a bit too much of you,_

_But I say you must listen closely._

_Great and brilliant Hogwarts,_

_Is in great danger,_

_For unfriendly and nasty foes,_

_Are not looking for failure._

_All houses must work together,_

_To cease this horrible future,_

_Or bad will become worse,_

_And the appearance of terrible creatures._

_War is what we will experience,_

_We all must be on our guard,_

_And trust only those we can,_

_Or a fight is another occurrence._

_Now, young students,_

_Show me a grin,_

_For now, I declare,_

_The sorting shall begin._

"Cheerful," I mumbled under my breath when the hat finished its song and bowed to the applauding students.

"Thanks for predicting our deaths, sorting hat," the girl who thought this whole thing was rubbish muttered beside me.

"I will call your names and each of you will come up here, sit on the stool and put the hat on your head," Professor McGonagall said.

"Really?" the girl said sarcastically. "Because I was going to put it on my foot."

I shot her a glare. She was getting quite annoying now.

"Adams, Celia!"

And the list went on. I didn't know if I was going to be part of the names Professor McGonagall was reading off that list. Maybe I was going to be sorted last. The snotty girl was called next.

"Bones, Amelia!"

Bones? Hm, never heard of the name. But she was sorted into Ravenclaw and I was quite surprised. I never really thought of her as intelligent ever since I heard her arguing with Captain Obvious. Then again, she did look quite smart even if she had a big mouth. As the list went on, Captain Obvious was finally called.

"Greengrass, Alexander!"

I tried to remember if I ever heard of the name Greengrass. I did remember my father telling my mum and me that they were a really rich pureblood family but the lot of them were quite nice. So Captain Obvious was a pureblood. And he was sorted into Slytherin. The list went on until finally,

"Zabini, Jack!"

Well, since I wasn't called, I figured I was getting sorted alone.

"We have a new student who will be joining the fourth years," Professor McGonagall announced. "Hunter, Cassidy!"

I gulped and walked to the stool. Sitting down, I laid the hat on my head and a creepy voice echoed in my head.

_An open mind you have, Miss Hunter._

I blinked. Was that a good thing?

_That is, in fact, a very good thing, Miss Hunter._

Eye twitching slightly, I realized the hat could read my mind.

_Not narrow-minded, no, not at all. Very considerate; a thirst for knowledge. Ravenclaw would be a good choice for you. Though open-minded, you have a sly personality, Miss Hunter. But you do not have the strong thirst for excellent and ambitiousness most cunning Slytherin folk have._

_Is that a good thing?_, I asked in my head.

_Some people, Gryffindors especially, may think that's quite a good thing since Slytherin is definitely out of the choices when it comes to your right house. I personally think it may be trouble for your future._

I gulped. Staring around the Great Hall, I noticed most of the students already had impatient faces on. I wondered how long I was sitting here. More than a minute obviously. Could I have already passed two minutes as well? How come people like Amelia Bones took only about ten seconds on this stool?

_Though not very ambitious, you work hard for who you love. And that is where loyalty comes in. Hufflepuff? Hmm… But Gryffindor may also be a fine choice… The mighty lion will definitely fit your personality…_

I snorted resulting to a lot of students staring at me weirdly. _Gryffindor is bravery, in'it?, _I thought. _I'm not brave._

_Oh, you don't know, Cassidy Hunter. You're only fourteen after all. You may not be very ambitious and your goals may not be very high but I see a great thirst to prove yourself worthy to sit in this very hall. Now, it's Hufflepuff or Gryffindor…. A hard choice, Miss Hunter. A hard choice indeed._

It was silent in my head for a while. Had the hat fallen asleep? Did it die? From the looks of it, it must have been pretty old. Do hats die because of old age like humans did? Looks of impatience spread across the hall and I couldn't help but feel guilty.

_Helga Hufflepuff would have loved to put you in her house, Miss Hunter._

I jumped in surprise when the creepy voice appeared in my head again.

_She would have liked for someone to show that Hufflepuff is just as great as the other houses. You could do that for her, Miss Hunter. You could put Hufflepuff in a whole new light. You can build up your goals as you study and your loyalty to Hufflepuff with give you the determination to reach them._

So it's Hufflepuff then. I knew it. Any moment now, the hat would shout Hufflepuff to the whole school. I spotted Florence's flaming red hair in the hall. I glanced down at the robes she and the rest of her housemates were wearing. The crest was red and gold and had a mighty lion knitted on it.

So Florence was a Gryffindor.

She smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. I gave her a weak smile back but it didn't reach my eyes. Florence was my first friend in this crowd of prejudiced purebloods and cocky, arrogant bullies. She confided her past about her parents to me even if I knew how hard it was to talk about it. And she barely even knew me.

It hurt that I would have to leave her. After eating lunch with her and her telling about the Marauders and asking me to help her stalk Sirius Black, we talked about ourselves. Well, she was never the popular girl. She didn't have much friends either. I immediately liked her. She was really sweet and friendly. Nobody's been like that to me (besides Mr. and Mrs. Potter) since my family died and my father and I had to leave. I trusted her too. Especially since she trusted me.

My weak smile must have made her assume I wasn't going o be sorted in her house because she turned to look at the Gryffindor table, sighing.

The hat once again spoke in my head.

_You have a very odd mind, Miss Hunter. But I think I have made my choice. And I think even Helga Hufflepuff will agree._

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The look of shock on my face was so priceless, Florence had to take a picture of it. I heard a snap and I saw a flash in the crowd of Gryffindors who were cheering for me.

Grinning, I took the hat off and walked briskly to the cheering table. Florence moved for me to sit on the small space beside her. She squealed and gave me a hug.

"I cant believe you took so long!" she sad cheerfully. "You were nearly a hatstall! The hat shouted Gryffindor ten seconds before five minutes!"

"What's a hatstall?" I asked curiously.

Florence rolled her eyes. "A hatstall is when you take more than five minutes getting sorted because the hat thinks you're equally suited to two different houses. Which houses were they?"

"Hufflepuff and Gryffindor," I said with a chuckle.

"Wow," she breathed. "I was timing you. Anyway, everyone will remember you now."

"Why?"

"Because you were a hatstall! Well… Nearly. But close enough!"

Before I could reply, the headmaster stood up and everyone stopped what they were doing. The man peered down at all the students in the Great Hall with his bright twinkling blue eyes behind his half-moon spectacles. His beard was long and white like his hair.

"To the new students, welcome!" he boomed joyfully. "And to everyone else, welcome back! Now I will not keep you from your delicious feast any longer. Tuck in!"

Then the table was suddenly filled with food. Delicious, sweet-smelling food. I grabbed everything that was within my reach and started to eat.

"Hair to left shoulder, _now_!" Florence suddenly whispered to me.

My mouth filled with pasta, I frowned at her, not knowing what the blue blazes she was talking about. She pushed her red hair to her left shoulder and continued eating, looking down. Anyone to her left wouldn't be able to see her face.

And the Marauders were not too far away.

I quickly pushed my long hair to my left shoulder like Florence did and continued to eat.

"-quite interesting, she is," a voice who I recognized as Remus' said.

"Dagirl obder sidsh nerly wuz," Sirius said with his mouth full.

"Yer dgustin, Srus!" James snapped with his mouth just as full.

"You're both disgusting," Remus said with a sigh. "Swallow before talking please."

There was silence as though waiting for James and Sirius to finish swallowing.

"That girl over there said she nearly was," Sirius said clearly now.

"Well, it sure felt like five minutes," James grumbled.

"She cant help it if the hat cant decide between two houses," Remus pointed out.

I nearly choked on my pumpkin juice. Florence quickly reached for the pitcher of water and poured it in her empty goblet. She made me drink it and I immediately felt better. Why the hell were they talking about me?

Looking up from my food, I realized the Marauders and a few other Gryffindors stopped talking and stared at me. I caught James' eye and he quickly turned away and whispered to his friends. They all just whispered after that and Florence and I couldn't hear a word they were saying.

"Sorry," I mumbled and continued eating.

"It's all right," she said looking more cheerful than I've ever seen her. "We've still got four years in this place to find out more about them."

Then she whispered to me, "Did you hear him? He mentioned me! He _actually_ mentioned me!"

* * *

><p>Florence had dragged me into her dormitory where we were only four. The other fourth year girls dormitory had five. The other two girls were gossiping maniacs. I wondered why Florence never tried to be friends with them since she seemed like the type.<p>

_That Mary Macdonald's fancied Sirius Black since first year. Much like me but I'm so much more good looking, _Florence had said to me when I asked her why she and the other two were not friends.

My first day in Hogwarts was one to remember.

It started with me waking up at six am. Rain splattered loudly on the window which my bed was beside. I sat up to look outside but all I saw was a blurry mess of the rain and leaves and twigs being carried by the noisy wind. Looking around the dorm, I wondered how everyone else was still asleep with this storm.

Shaking my head, I used the bathroom first for a shower. My robes were now lined with red and the Gryffindor crest was knitted on it. I wore the thick v-neck uniform jumper over the white buttoned shirt and necktie and I immediately felt warm. By the time I was ready to walk down to the Great Hall, Florence woke up.

She checked her watch and screamed, running into the bathroom.

Her scream woke up Mary Macdonald and her friend whose name I could not remember.

"I call the bathroom!" Mary Macdonald announced.

She walked to the door and tried opening it but it was locked.

"Get your arse out of there, Flanagan!" she snapped angrily.

"Fuck you!" Florence's reply came.

My friend had spent nearly twenty minutes in the bathroom and she exited fully clothed with a smile on her face. Mary Macdonald didn't look very happy though.

Before she could scream at Florence, I slung my satchel over my shoulder and dragged the redhead out of the dormitory, running downstairs, fearing we might miss breakfast. We made it there right as the owls had swooped in and delivered letters and packages to their owners.

We sat on the Gryffindor table and a few minutes later, the Marauders had entered the Great Hall. The hall was nearly full and the arrival of the boys had attracted the attention of numerous girls. As they walked to their usual space in the Gryffindor table, they passed dramatic girls who dropped whatever they were holding, open-mouthed.

The boys seemed to enjoy this sort of attention. Well, Remus rolled his eyes once or twice whenever a girl flirtatiously winked or said, "Hi, Sirius." or "Hi, James." but he seemed pretty surprised when a few girls said hi to him too.

When they passed by Florence, she sighed dreamily when Sirius caught her eye and winked at her like he did to every other girl who caught his eye.

"This doesn't even make any sense," I whispered to Florence who was staring at the boys who had seated on their usual place in the table. "Even seventh years are staring at them! Isn't that a bit weird?"

"What doesn't make any sense, Cassie?" she said with the dreamy look on his face. "They're perfect."

"Even Peter?"

"Peter is _such_ a cutie pie!" she said in protest.

Then Florence's dreamy face was replaced with a look of determination.

"We cant drop classes until sixth year so we have the exact same timetable as the Marauders," she whispered as Professor McGonagall passed her and handed us both our own timetables.

"They're leaving," I said watching James, Peter and Remus stand up.

The three started walking away then realized that Sirius was still eating. James had to go back and drag the gorgeous boy away from his pancakes.

"Let's go," Florence said standing up as well when the boys passed us.

I followed her out of the Great Hall and a pair of Hufflepuffs were walking near us. They giggled as they talked and Florence couldn't help but listen in. Being the fantastic stalker that she was, she used the hair tie on her wrist to pull her hair up in a tight bun. She pulled out a baseball cap from her bag and put it on her head. Taking her glasses off, she let it hang on her Gryffindor jumper. She took her robes off.

Before I could ask what she was doing, she crouched down and walked through the dark part in the entrance hall. The Hufflepuffs walked pretty damn slow if you asked me. Before I could start to look for Florence, I spotted her leaning against a well lit wall. She held her robes to cover her skirt and her legs and she held a book, looking down at it so her face wasn't seen. I couldn't help but applaud her in my head. She didn't look like herself at all. In fact, she looked sort of like a guy at first glance.

The Hufflepuffs walked right past her and like I said before, they walked really slow. I could see Florence take small steps to the left when they passed her. The Hufflepuffs passed me and their eyes narrowed but they didn't say anything.

Finally, when she finally thought she listened to them enough, she ran back to me. She glanced at the Hufflepuffs who eventually disappeared in a corner.

"What the hell was that for?" I immediately asked her. "Didn't they find it odd that a boy with a baseball cap was just hanging there?"

She snorted. "They're Hufflepuffs. What do you expect?"

I couldn't help but feel a bit offended.

"I know when girls are talking about Sirius Black."

I blinked and shook my head, not wanting to know how she knew.

"I wanted to hear what they were saying about him," she continued. "Apparently this morning, Sirius Black was caught by McGonagall standing in the Restricted Section of the library. There was girl there and he told McGonagall he was snogging her. The girl just went along with it. One of the Hufflepuffs looked pretty pissed because she was just in the library and it could have been her who Sirius Black was quote, unquote pretend snogging."

"So was he really snogging the girl?" I asked curiously.

"Of course not!" Florence exclaimed. "I know everyone thinks he's a player but really, he's actually quite nice girls. He doesn't use them for simply snogging. He was doing something in that place and we are going to figure out what."

The bell rang and that was our cue to run to our first class.

* * *

><p>History of Magic was definitely my least favorite class. But for Florence, it was the best time to eavesdrop on the Marauders since she knew that History of Magic was the class they usually talked since Professor Binns, who was apparently a ghost and I nearly ran out of the classroom screaming for my life, didn't give a shit.<p>

But instead of helping Florence listen to the Marauders' discussion (glancing at me once in a while), Professor McGonagall called for me. Florence, the Marauders' and the rest of the class watched me curiously as I walked to the exit.

I was too busy worrying if I was in trouble. But when I stepped out of the classroom, I did not expect Mr. Potter being there.

"Hello, Cassie," he said warmly.

Professor McGonagall had already left and I was alone with James Potter's father. He was supposedly my legal guardian for the mean time and I wondered why he was here.

"I see you were sorted into Gryffindor," he said with a smile.

I blinked. I didn't know what to say. His hair looked almost as bad as James' and the bags under his tired eyes made me wonder what was going on. Did anything bad happen back in the Potter Manor?

"Yes, well, Cassie, I'm hear to talk to you about your father."

My mouth my suddenly very dry. "W-What about him?" I managed to squeak out. "Is there anything wrong with him? Did Azkaban make him go crazy?"

"Cassie," Mr. Potter sighed. "your father was never in Azkaban."

I was speechless. Three days. I believed for three days that the madman I used to call my father was in Azkaban. And he deserved it. Then a thought appeared in my head.

"Is he innocent?" I asked smiling. That had to be the only explanation, right?

But the pain in Mr. Potter's eyes made me realize that he wasn't innocent. My smile was out just as fast as it came.

"Cassie, your father was in a cell, locked in the Ministry," Mr. Potter said, sadness in his eyes increasing. "The aurors needed to interrogate him more. They did and he revealed quite a lot. But yesterday, I had to go back to the Ministry because… well, he escaped."

My eyes widened. "That's- That's not possible! He was locked! How could he escape?" I exclaimed, anger boiling inside me.

"Your father-"

"Don't call him that," I snapped then immediately felt embarrassed, looking down. "Sorry. I mean… He's not my father…"

"Harrison Hunter was helped," Mr. Potter sighed.

"Who would _want_ to help him?" I spat. "He's vile! He's horrible!"

The extreme sadness in Mr. Potter's eyes made me shut up.

"Mr. Potter, who helped him?" I whispered, tears filling my eyes.

"Lestrange, Nott and Avery."

"But they're-"

"Death Eaters, yes," Mr. Potter said, his voice low. "And Hunter's fellow colleagues."

* * *

><p><em>First day in Hogwarts? Not so good for Cassie. As she and her best friend, Florence, continue to follow their fellow Gryffindors, the Marauders', around, dark forces begin to build a war outside the safe walls of their school. But unfortunately for Cassie, her father is helping.<em>

_"War is what we will experience,_

_We all must be on our guard,_

_And trust only those we can,_

_Or a fight is another occurrence." -Sorting Hat, Live To Die, Chapter Three, Surprise, Surprise_

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? :)<strong>


	4. Operation: MOIDIC

**OPERATION: M.O.I.D.I.C.**

_Rule #2: A disguise is a disguise. Whether it was accidental or only for testing. Whatever you do, you do not reveal your identity when you're in one._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Warning: There's like... a lot of bad words in this chapter... That's really why this story's rated T and all so if you don't like reading with bad words... Well, this story isn't for you to read then.<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>SIRIUS<strong>

"Thanks, Twinkle. The eclairs were delicious! Make sure to have those again when I stop by next time, eh? Ah, I'm just yanking your wand."

The house-elves tried offering me more food to taste but I sleeping with a full stomach isn't exactly my thing.

Or barfing.

So I left the kitchen and made my way to Gryffindor tower. For the first time in days, I managed to pass the school without getting caught! Hah, fuck you, James.

That bloody wanker walked louder than a mountain troll.

He was a prefect magnet, that boy was. Much more McGonagall magnet.

Okay, that sounded gross.

But seriously… Shit, I have got to stop using that pun. Moony was right. Bloody pun wasn't funny anymore.

Okay, I mean really, every night I go exploring with him, we always end up getting caught. We turn to a corner and there's McGonagall with her usual you're-doing-shit-again-now-get-to-my-office-before-I-kick-those-bloody-arses-of-yours look.

I'm not shitting! That's really what I see whenever she stares at us with that face! The overlarge nostrils, the eyes popping out of their sockets, the thin deformed looking mouth that makes me wonder how she snogs with it.

Sorry, I'm a bit of an arse. Notice the vulgar language? Well, that's the result of living with two bloody parents who say the words all the time.

But really, what I'm thinking is all crap! I don't really mean any of it… Maybe just a little bit. But I do respect McGonagall, mind you! But apparently it doesn't 'reflect in my actions towards her' in Moony's words.

Really Moony? I don't appreciate you making me sound like a fucking retard going for a woman five times my age.

I finally reached the Fat Lady but unfortunately for me, she was sleeping.

"Oi! Get the fuck up!" I hissed.

I don't know if it was the tone of my voice that woke her up or my use of strong unpleasant language.

Well, I do know she wasn't happy with me waking her up at one in the morning.

Before I could even move away from the doorway to the inside of the common room, the Fat Lady swung the portrait close hard and quickly, hitting my arse and making me fall on my face.

Cursing the Fat Lady under my breath, I heard a seal.

Get the fuck out of it, Sirius, there's no bloody seal in here.

It sounded like one though. No… _She_ sounded like one. On the Gryffindor couch was a girl about my age, crying her eyes out and making these weird noises that made her sound like a seal. Fuck you, Sirius. Get your act up and stop being a bloody git.

I glanced at the boys staircase. Maybe I could make a run for it.

The girl looked up.

Shit.

A new set of tears fell from her eyes. What the hell? What did I do? Bloody hell! She just started to cry even more after seeing me! What was I supposed to do? Should I make a run for it? Oh, Jesus no! What if I give her a stroke?

So the girl continued crying on the couch. And I was just there. Standing awkwardly.

Very, very awkwardly.

I was never an expert in comforting girls! I've had two serious girlfriends! TWO!

Now, now, don't act so surprised. I didn't treat girls like they were just snogging buddies! Christ, no. I am not that much of an arse. So I took a step forward.

The girl sobbed even more.

Man, I'm not good at this, am I?

She tugged on her jet-black hair that was straight. She twirled it around her finger as though desperate to make it curly. One hand wiped her tears coming from a pair of dark forest green eyes behind a pair of rectangular glasses.

"Er, so are you fine?" I asked awkwardly.

She shot me a look that made me regret what I just said. Of course, she's not fucking fine you dimwit.

"Well, you're not fine, obviously," I said with a weak chuckle.

I slowly sat on the couch beside her and tried to give her a reassuring smile.

Let's just say I gave her a nervous holy-mother-of-Dumbledore-I've-no-idea-what-I'm-doing smile.

"So what's up?" I asked in the kindest way possible.

The girl stared at me with wide eyes as though wondering why I even asked her in the first place.

"I-It's nothing, don't worry," she said so quietly that I almost didn't hear her at first.

I narrowed my eyes at her. I didn't recognize her. Straight black hair. Very common. She didn't look very tall. Her body structure looked new to me. Not like I _knew_ the body structure of any woman I see. I don't! Really!

Fine, only the attractive ones though.

This girl didn't look bad. What really looked interesting about her were her eyes. Dark forest green. They were very pretty.

"You know, I don't recognize you," I said. "You're obviously a Gryffindor. How come I don't?"

"I don't know," she said looking uneasy. "Look, thanks for staying here and all but I better go up to bed."

"I might be able to help you, you know," I blurted out.

What the hell was I thinking? Cant I just let her go up and I can go up to my own dorm and sleep?

And worst of all, the girl looked like she was considering this. Then she narrowed her eyes at me looking suspicious.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help!" I exclaimed, my hands up in surrender. "It's not like I'm going to rape you or anything."

It was silent for a while. The girl stared at the crackling fire, her eyebrows furrowed. She had stopped crying at least. Her hand shot up to her glasses but then a surprised frown appeared on her face when she touched them as though she didn't know they were there.

Weird.

She took them off and set them on the table.

"How are you supposed to see without those?" I asked.

"They're not-" she started then her eyes widened at me.

Quickly taking her glasses of the coffee table, she put them back on.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking," she mumbled.

"Right," I said raising my eyebrows in suspicion. "Well, do I get a name then?"

"No."

"Year?"

"No."

"Age?"

"No."

"Well, you're nice," I muttered.

The girl sighed. "I don't think you'll be able to help."

"Try me," I said with a snort.

She stared at me with weird look on her face like she was thinking whether to trust me or to leave me in the dust. I didn't know why she didn't just tell me already. Come on, I'm a Gryffindor! Of course, I'm trustworthy! It's part of the requirements!

"It's just my dad," she finally gave in with a sigh.

My ears perked up. "You're dad?" I immediately said. "What'd he do?"

"I- I don't want to talk about it."

"Hey, I might be able to help you with this situation you know," I said a matter of factly. "I've got quite a bit of a problem with my sadistic parents as well."

"Sadistic?" the girl laughed.

"Got it from Moony," I said with a shrug. "I think he called me that once before… Or was he talking to James?"

She stared at the fire again. I waited for her to speak.

"He's rejoined his fellow Death Eater buddies," she said simply.

Ah, shit. The girl's dad was a Death Eater. Poor lass. But nothing I cant relate to.

"Just because your father's a Death Eater, doesn't mean you're one too you know," I said leaning back on the cushion.

"I'm related to him," she said, a flash of anger appeared in her eyes. "It makes me just as bad."

"Don't be stupid," I snapped at her. "Have you even heard of _my_ family? They're shit! I mean, fuckin' hell, how can they be related to _me_? They're like the opposite of being super mega great so therefore, they're the opposite of me."

I gave her a charming grin but she just rolled her eyes.

"You cant say I'm not," I said with a chuckle. "I mean, look at me. I'm fucking brilliant. _Voldemort_ should bask in my brilliance."

The girl shook her head with a small smile on her face. HAH! Well, I'm not so bad at this after all.

"You've got a big mouth," she pointed out.

I grinned and lock my hands behind my head. "Well, it's not my fault I only speak the truth."

She snorted. "I wasn't talking about _that_."

"Oh, you mean the cursing?" I smirked. "Sorry, bit of a habit now. After living with my parents and cousins for years, I've sort of picked up on their annoying habit of cursing. Think James' picking up on _my_ habit now. I really don't want him to. If Mr. and Mrs. Potter find out he gets his words from me, I would be going _home_ for Christmas."

"You'd really go home to the parents you hate oh, so much?" she said with a big smile.

He snorted. "Fuck no."

Silence took over and the girl looked much happier since I saw her crying. I felt proud of myself. I cheered her up. And she didn't even try to snog me once! I've never really cheered up a girl before. As much as possible, I stay away from crying girls. I take one step towards them and next thing I know, I'm being snogged by a completely random girl.

As if me snogging them will take away all their problems.

"So, still no name?" I asked with a charming grin.

"No, sorry," she said with a shrug.

"Why not? Come on, you know I'l figure out sooner or later."

"You know, I don't think you will."

"Rubbish," I scoffed.

"Suit yourself," she said with a small smile. "I'm off to bed anyway."

I frowned. "Oh, come on, don't leave yet!" I said. "You're obviously still down' bout the whole dad-rejoining-useless-gits-as-such. Or what I would like to call, Situation D.R.U.G.S."

Her head snapped up. "What the- You bloody well know I wouldn't want this situation called _drugs_!" she hissed.

"It's not drugs, you idiot," I said with a roll of my eyes. "It's Situation: D.R.U.G.S. Well… I guess we could call it drugs for short."

"Oh, _God_ no!"

I ignored her.

"So, Grannie," I started.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, _WHOA_!" she exclaimed making me stop. "Since when did we agree that my bloody name was _Granny_?"

"It stands for girl-who-really-answers-not-nicely-instead-of-elegantly," I explained.

Smart, isn't it?

"There's no 'y'."

"Well, obviously because it's spelled as G-R-A-N-N-I-E," I said rolling my eyes at her again.

"Elegantly? Really? Oh, and it's bad grammar! _And_ it's supposed to be spelled as G-W-R-A-N-N-I-O-E."

"Couldn't think of any other 'e'…. Geweranyow?" I tried pronouncing. "No, doesn't sound right… I'll stick with Grannie, thanks."

She scowled.

"So, Grannie," I said once again. "how are you feeling about your drugs?"

"_OKAY_," she exclaimed standing up.

"Well, if situation drugs is fine you didn't have to shout it out."

"NO! I meant okay, stop!" she said desperately. "I swear I'm going to get nightmares of my grandmother doing drugs tonight!"

"That wouldn't be new to me since she already does it."

She gave me a scandalized look.

"I was kidding!"

She started to hit me with the throw pillow on the couch.

"Ow, _Ow_! Okay, Gran, all _right_!"

She put the pillow down, scowling as I tried to fix my hair. Bloody lunatic. Took me so long for this to be perfect!

"Jeez, woman," I muttered. "Knickers in a twist, are they?"

That got me another hit on the head. By her hand this time.

Maybe I should shut up now.

"So you definitely all right then?" I asked glaring at her.

"I guess I'll get over it soon," she said with a sigh as I sat down on the couch again.

"That's the spirit!" I said happily. "Look, forget about that nutter. Not much of bloody loss if you ask me. If the lunatic's crazy enough to leave his daughter, then he's not worth your tears."

She chuckled. "Thanks, Sirius."

My eyebrows shot up. "You know me?"

"Of course I do," she said. "Everyone does. Guys want to be you and girls stalk you."

For some reason, a glint appeared in her eyes when she said that last bit. A small smile tugged on her lips as though trying not to laugh out loud.

"Well," I said flipping my hair. "I cant say girls here don't have taste."

Then she stood up. "I'm off to bed."

"I'll see you around?" I asked with a grin.

"No."

And she ran up the girls' staircase. I waited for her to appear in the balcony but for some very odd reason, she never did.

"Fuck, I'm seeing ghosts." I muttered.

* * *

><p>"WE HAVE TRYOUTS YOU BLOODY IDIOT!"<p>

And I was pulled away from the delicious eggs and bacon on my plate by my Quidditch obsessed-uncontrolable-eccentric-and-energetic-roommate or James who I would like to call Q.U.E.E.R.

"You idiot! How can you forget?" he hissed as he pulled me to the Quidditch pitch.

"I'm not the Q.U.E.E.R. here!"

"What the fuck!" he exclaimed. "I'm not a bloody queer!"

"Don't be stupid. Of course you are! That's based on you!"

"No, it's not!"

"_What_ in the world is going on here?"

I just realized James and I had stopped running to the pitch (or in my case, being dragged). We had started to shout in the middle of the hallway where Lily Evans was currently walking in.

"He called me a queer!" James shouted pointing his finger at me.

"Oh, how I wish you were," Evans muttered darkly.

"Yeah?" he snapped." Well, too bad, I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are!" I insisted.

"Sirius, shut the bloody hell up!"

"It's means Quidditch obsessed-uncontrolable-eccentric-and-energetic-roommate!" I exclaimed. "What did you think it meant?"

James blinked at me in shock. Then he shook his head and glared at Evans.

"Well, if you'll excuse us, we have a Quidditch tryout to go to," he snapped and dragged me out of the hallway.

When we finally reached the pitch and entered the Gryffindor locker room, our captain, Justin Goldstein, stared irritatedly at us.

"Finally! James, I would have expected you to be early for this," he said.

James muttered an apology and walked to his locker to change into his Gryffindor Quidditch robes. I walked to my own locker to pull out my own robes and gear. I could hear Goldstein talking to the others. Checking my watch, I realized it was nearly time to go out.

I looked out the window to see how many were trying out then I saw a flash of black. Shaking my head furiously, I closed my locker door. About half of the people trying out had black hair. I remembered the girl crying last night. I had nicknamed her 'Grannie'. And if I wasn't addressing her as 'the girl crying last night' in my head, I was calling her Grannie.

And I didn't even know if she was real or not.

I have never seen the girl in my life. And there was only one new students this year. Was she in my year? I forgot. What was her name? I also forgot. Merlin, I was a great person, wasn't I?

And we were even planning on pranking the girl.

We're planning on pranking her and I didn't even know her name. Bloody hell, we are such nice people.

But in my defense, James never addressed the new girl by her name. It was always 'that unnoticeable blonde'. Or the girl who I liked to call, T.U.B.

If you didn't notice it yet by now, I do like making acronyms.

"Black! Get your arse out here now! You're already late," Goldstein snapped.

Rolling my eyes, I walked back to the meeting room where James was already seated in one of the benches. But before I could join him, I heard a flash and I quickly turned around. No one was there. No one directly outside the window either. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Fucking hallucinations. I sat beside James as Goldstein started to announce what they were going to do for the tryouts.

"Hey, you know T.U.B.?" I whispered to James.

"Tub?" James whispered back giving me a weird look.

"I mean, that unnoticeable blonde," I said irritatedly.

I could feel him stiffen beside me. Hm.. Wonder why.

"What about her? We're still going for Operation: M.O.I.D.I.C. aren't we?" he asked narrowing his eyes at me.

I snorted. That name never gets old.

"You thought of that name you little green-minded bastard," James hissed.

"Yeah, yeah, we're still going for it, don't worry," I said trying not to laugh.

"Good."

"Black! Potter! Shut up and got you arses off that bench!"

"Next year, you're getting captain, we clear?" I whispered to James as we left the locker room.

* * *

><p>"New Chaser is Marlene McKinnon," Justin announced. "Sorry, folks. That's it. maybe next year you'll get in the team."<p>

Disgruntled Gryffindors walked back in the castle muttering angrily to themselves. Goldstein welcomed Marlene McKinnon, an innocent-looking brunette, in the Gryffindor team and ordered us all to introduce ourselves.

"Goldstein, this really isn't neces-"

"I'm the only one in this team who can say what is and what isn't necessary, Potter. Now, introduce yourself."

James glared at him and turned to McKinnon. "James Potter, chaser," he mumbled.

"Do it properly and say it louder, Potter," Goldstein snapped.

James flipped his middle finger up at Goldstein and said a string of curses.

"Laps."

And _that_ is why James shouldn't do that to the captain.

He didn't even have to ask how many! That's how much this happens.

"That was James Potter and he's our star Chaser," Goldstein explained to McKinnon. "Bloody good Chaser, that James Potter. But he's got a big mouth too. _Speaking_ of big mouths, Black, introduce yourself."

I took a step forward and gave McKinnon a charming grin.

"Sirius Black, Beater and pranking extraordinaire. If you have questions, feel free to approach me."

She scoffed as though that would never happened.

Bitch.

"I'm Denise Smith," my blonde teammate introduced herself. "Chaser and fifth year."

"Benjy Fenwick," our Seaker said holding his hand out which McKinnon gladly took. "Seeker and seventh year."

Then there was an awkward silence. The only thing we could hear was James' grunting as he finished his laps around the pitch. I couldn't help but feel that there was something missing. Then I realized, we had no Keeper.

"Where's Longbottom?" I blurted out.

"Oh, right, Frank!" he said realization seen across his face. "I knew there was someone missing. Right, he told me he couldn't come because he's got detention for being late in McGonagall's class. Apparently, he forgot his schedule and accidentally wandered into third year Herbology."

"Frank Longbottom's our Keeper. He's really good but his memory's not the best. Always forgetting something, he is. He's a sixth year," Denise explained kindly to McKinnon. She must have been pretty thrilled that there was another girl in the team now. She used to be the only one.

"Done," James panted appearing beside me nearly making me jump.

"Now that you know everyone, I'll fill you in with our training schedule," Goldstein said to McKinnon then he turned to all of us. "In fact, everyone should listen. We're having practice four times a week."

And that was the cause of Denise and Benjy screaming in protest, James shrugging nonchalantly and rolling his eyes as though he expected it and me dropping to my knees and screaming "NO!" dramatically.

McKinnon was watching us in amusement and confusion.

"They reacted like this last year when I said we were practicing thrice a week," I heard Goldstein mumble.

"We got used to that!" I said.

"And you're all going to get used to four times a week too."

"I've got O.W.L.s, Justin!" Denise shouted, stomping her foot in frustration.

"And I've got my N.E.W.T.s!" Benjy said in the same tone.

"I've got N.E.W.T.s too, Benj, but that's not stopping me from planning tryouts, practices and strategies," Goldstein snapped.

"That's because you're captain! You have to do that! Or we'll lose!"

"And you're part of this team! You have to attend practices or we really _will_ lose!"

Benjy shut up and glared at the ground. Denise glared at the captain himself but he didn't seem to be affected by this.

"We lost the cup last year to a bunch of slimy Slytherins," Goldstein said. "I am _not_ letting that happen again. They may be bigger than us but dammit, we're better. I've got the star Chaser of Hogwarts in my team. I've got a great partner who's possibly the best Beater in this school. Denise has never failed to work well with James. Benjy is much faster and skillful than any other Seeker in this school. And I found Marlene who's got natural talent and with a bit of training, she'll be just as good as the Slytherin Chasers."

"Like they _are_ good," I snorted.

Goldstein glared at me. "Oh, they're good, Black. Maybe not as good as Potter but they're enough to be able to reach the Quidditch finals. We have to practice and practice and _practice_. Monday and Thursday, six in the morning to eight."

"_MORNING_?" came Denise's screech.

"We're lucky we actually got a spot," Goldstein snapped. "That's ours for the whole school year. So is Friday and Saturday. Friday afternoon, four to six. Saturday afternoon, one to three thirty."

"We'll be there," James said with a determined nod.

"_We_?" I hissed.

Goldstein stared at James weirdly. I figured if there was one person in this team who would actually agree to the training schedule, it wouldn't be James for him. But for me, it would definitely be James.

Q.U.E.E.R. Quidditch obsessed-uncontrolable-eccentric-and-energetic-roommate. Note the 'Quidditch obsessed' part.

"I expect everyone to be here on those days and times," Goldstein continued. "Only miss practices when completely necessary."

And with that, we hit the showers. Denise gladly led McKinnon to the locker room and showed her her new locker.

* * *

><p>On Sunday evening, James announced that we were finally doing Operation: M.O.I.D.I.C.<p>

"I've got the bowl and I'll set it where it's supposed to be," James muttered to the three of us as we walked to the Great Hall for dinner.

"Be sure she wont see you," I muttered back.

And before we all entered the Great Hall, James pulled his Invisibility Cloak out and covered himself. Remus, Peter and I walked in and we got the usual sighs and stares. But some were muttering, wondering why James wasn't with us.

We sat in our usual spot on the table and Peter nervously glanced at the entrance a few times.

"Don't make it so obvious," I snapped at him.

He muttered an apology and started piling food on his plate. Remus was too busy reading a book to eat but there was a small smile on his lips and a glint in his eye. People may not think it, but I knew there was a mischievous prankster inside Remus. He was the mastermind of all our pranks. James and I thought of them and he would tell us what to do so it would succeed. Peter was the lookout.

But he did give good ideas sometimes.

Once or twice.

Or maybe just once.

I glanced at T.U.B. who was sitting with her redhead friend. They were whispering to each other then, a bowl appeared out of nowhere beside T.U.B. I thought I caught a glimpse of a floating hand.

Must be James.

Speaking of the devil, he had appeared in the doorway and strode towards us with a smirk on his face. He sat beside Remus and grinned mischievously at us. Without another word, we started to eat, waiting.

I bit my chicken and glanced at T.U.B. She had spotted the bowl James had set beside her plate.

I caught James smirking in triumph. Operation: M.O.I.D.I.C. was going well.

Perhaps I should explain to you why it's called that.

M.O.I.D.I.C. = Mayonnaise or is it delicious ice cream?

Glancing at T.U.B., I saw her a giant spoonful of the thick white paste James had put in it. Putting it in her mouth, the four of us couldn't hold in our laughter anymore.

"Oh my _GOD_!"

Yep, definitely mayonnaise.

But that's not the best part.

T.U.B. had stood up and tried to spit it on the floor. Only, the spoonful of mayonnaise wouldn't come out of his mouth and she only had one option.

She had swallowed the mayonnaise that filled her mouth.

The four of us were gasping for breath as we laughed. Other students had started to join us.

But wait.

There's more.

T.U.B. turned to her redhead friend. A string of grunts escaped her mouth. Laughter erupted in the Great Hall and McGonagall had stood up and tried to silence everyone.

It wasn't working.

More grunts escaped her mouth and she even added hand gestures which made her look even more stupid. Her friend had glared at everyone nearby and pulled T.U.B. out of the Great Hall. We could still hear her grunts and nonsense words.

James had fallen out of his seat, laughing. Remus and Peter were wiping tears from their eyes. I had banging the Gryffindor table with my own tears.

"_MARAUDERS_!" McGonagall screeched. She walked towards us looking livid.

Ah, shit.

We immediately shut up.

"_What_ is the meaning of this?" she hissed when she reached us.

The whole hall fell silent as they stared.

"We didn't do anything, Professor," James said pulling an innocent face.

Remus, Peter and I tried to hold in our laughter.

"In-Innocent until proven guilty," Remus managed to choke out.

McGonagall looked even more mad if that was even possible.

"As much as we would _love_ to stay here and chat, Minnie, our beds in Gryffindor tower are calling us," James sent her a wink and strode off to the exit.

The three of us followed him, holding our laughter until the Great Hall was out of sight. We laughed as we reached the tower and the Fat Lady, curiously staring at us, let us in after Remus choked out the password.

We laughed as we entered. Then I heard a seal.

A seal.

I quickly stopped laughing and turned to see the couch in front of the fireplace.

No one was there.

Then I caught a glimpse of the end of someones robes on the bottom of the staircase. I stared at the balcony but no girl had appeared to be walking up. I noticed James, Remus and Peter had already started walking up the boys' staircase.

Shaking my head to clear all my thoughts of Grannie, I followed them up.

* * *

><p><em>Not even Quidditch and pranks can make Sirius forget about the awkward black-haired girl he had met crying. Who was she? Was she a new Hogwarts ghost? Maybe she was a poltergeist. Maybe she was Peeves' girlfriend. But little did Sirius know it would take him a <em>very_ long time to find out her true identity._

_"She's one student who has no idea what we're capable of." -James Potter, Live To Die, Chapter One, To Face The Truth_

* * *

><p><strong>Tell me what you think :)<strong>

**I would like to say thank you to those who reviewed, followed my story and made it a favorite. I really appreciate it.**


	5. Mysteries To Solve

**Mysteries To Solve**

_Rule #3: Remember to follow as quiet as possible._

I hadn't even realized I had spent two months in Hogwarts already.

With pranks (mainly played on me), stalking (-the boys responsible for the pranks) and studies, the months were passing by so quickly. So far, I wasn't the most liked in this school. In fact, I was the most pitied.

Would you like me to tell you why?

Yes, I will definitely tell you why.

About thrice every week, there's a new prank awaiting me in the morning or if I'm lucky, after dinner. That way I would be able to shower and head back to the common room right after. The Marauders aren't exactly my best friends at the moment. Well, James is the leader of that group. I'll be lucky if any of them actually start to act civil towards me.

Nobody wants to help me. They're too afraid they'd meet the Marauders' pranks as well. Nobody wants to get pranked. Especially by them. Florence has been trying to help me as much as possible but she's lucky because she's not really known in this school either. The Marauders wouldn't really care because another someone like me is comforting me.

I had started to get used to the pranks actually. But that doesn't stop me from being the most paranoid person in the whole school.

The Halloween feast was great but nothing very interesting had happened unless you counted a a group of mini jack-o-lanterns following Severus Snape around singing, _Snivelly, Snivelly, with greasy hair as smelly as your mothers belly after she gave birth to youuuu…._

Pretty catchy song if you asked me…

Surprisingly, I received no unexpected ice-cold showers, no real-life flying cockroaches when I open my textbook, no falling flat on my arse because my shoes had been glued to the floor, no nothing! No mayonnaise in an ice cream disguise either. I have got to admit, that disguise was worthy of Florence.

Bloody disgusting, that was.

Still gives me shivers when I think about it.

November had just arrived and the wind's just getting colder and colder. And what's great and exciting is the fact that today was the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin.

Never in my life did I ever learn how to play Quidditch. I didn't know if I sucked or if I was exceptionally good. I didn't know. I didn't plan to find out.

First of all, besides water, heights is definitely my weakness. I cant stand staying up high for too long or I would most likely barf up from the sky and hit a Quidditch player down below.

I'm telling you now, you would definitely rather get bird shit on your head.

"Cassie, will you please stop staring mindlessly at your trunk and dress up already!"

Florence's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Right, of course. Dress up for the Quidditch match.

She was already done dressing. I wondered how long I was staring at my trunk. Must have been pretty long. Otherwise, Florence isn't Florence anymore.

I dressed as quickly as I could and she pulled me up to my feet, dragging me out of the dormitory. We made our way to the Quidditch pitch. Students from all houses were already there. We sat with the other Gryffindors on the stands.

Florence kept shooting me worried looks.

Did I look too much of an idiot?

Maybe it's because I hadn't stop grinning like mad since we arrived.

I was excited. Very, very excited. I'd never watched a Quidditch game before. It would be fun. And I was definitely for Gryffindor.

I checked the time. It was ten minutes past eleven. I was told that the game started at eleven.

Other students seemed to have noticed as well. Some were trying to look down at the pitch to see if anyone was there. Not even Madam Hooch, the referee, was present. There were a few teachers but they were looking just as confused.

Almost thirty minutes after eleven, Madam Hooch had finally appeared gaining the interest of everyone on the stands. She had walked up to Professor McGonagall. I didn't know what she said but McGonagall had suddenly turned very angry. She snatched the microphone from the commentator.

"It seems," she started with a very stiff voice. "that James Potter and Marlene McKinnon are not present."

Confused and worried Gryffindors began speaking again but McGonagall held up a hand. Everyone shut up immediately.

"If they are not here forty five minutes after eleven, Gryffindor will forfeit and…" her voice was suddenly much stiffer if that was even possible. "Slytherin will take the win."

The Slytherins on the other side of stands had started to cheer. I started to panic.

This was totally unfair! My first Quidditch game and James bloody Potter and Marlene arsehole McKinnon are nowhere to be found! I felt the anger boiling up inside me. I had to find them. They must have just lost track of time.

Without telling Florence where I was going, I had dashed down the stairs and back inside the nearly empty castle. I didn't know where to go first. I didn't even know why I was trying to find them in the first place. Sirius and his other friends should be finding them right now.

I had been looking for almost fifteen minutes then I heard a shatter. I quickly turned to the sound. It came from one of the classrooms in the hallway I was in. There was another shatter and I opened the nearest door.

And there was James bloody Potter. Literally, bloody. There were bleeding scratches on his livid face. He was wearing his Gryffindor Quidditch uniform and his wand was out, pointed directly as Marlene arsehole McKinnon. Her face wasn't bloody but her hands were. She had her wand out as well.

Broken glasses was all over the floor. What in the world could be so bad that they had started to throw shards of glass at each other?

"YOUR BITCHY ATTITUDE SUCKS, KNOW THAT?" James roared. "IF WE KNEW YOU WERE LIKE THIS, WE WOULDN'T HAVE LET YOU IN THE TEAM!"

"Oh, please," Marlene scoffed. "I was the best _bloody_ chaser there!"

"What I say and _ONLY_ what I say goes, McKinnon!" James hissed.

"You act as if you're the bloody captain of this team!"

"Get off your high horse! You think you're bloody better than everyone is this school! You might have talent but if you cant fucking follow directions, then you get ready for what's coming for you!"

"Oh, what're you going to do?" she sneered. "Kick me off the team? You cant do that! Only Goldstein can! And I'm pretty sure he has no plans of kicking me out."

"I'm sure he'll have plans if his star Chaser is at stake."

And with that, James turned and saw me there with my mouth open. He covered his surprised expression with fury.

"What the fuck do you want?" he snapped.

It was my turn to glare at him. He raised his eyebrows as though surprised I had the guts to do that.

"You're both here arguing about bloody Quidditch like six year olds when you're supposed to be out there with your bleeding team!" I shouted. "If you want to be the fucking captain next year, James, then your bloody arse to the pitch!"

"We've still got ten minutes," James laughed. Then he frowned. "How did you know I wanted to be captain?"

"Ten minutes, my fucking arse!" I said fury boiling inside me. But I also felt stupid. I had revealed too much. I decided to ignore his last question. "_If you're both not in the pitch in three bloody minutes, then Slytherin takes the win_!"

James decided then to check his watch. His face paled, picked up his broomstick and ran out of the door with another word. Marlene had followed him without without even looking at me.

I couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed by this. I saved them from possibly getting kicked off the team because of missing a Quidditch match and they don't even talk or look at me.

Well, they were in a hurry.

Surprisingly, I didn't regret shouting at James. I felt like he deserved what he got. Maybe…. Maybe I didn't fancy him anymore!

A grin spread across my face.

This was brilliant! I didn't think I would stop fancying him! But I finally did!

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. I turned around and there was James, his face sweaty and he breathed heavily. My heart beat sped up.

Fucking heart. Yeah, I still fancy him… Damn.

"Hey, thanks," he muttered.

I felt my knees go weak. I gulped and nodded quickly.

"You have to be there in two minutes! Go!" I said.

He hopped on his broom and flew away faster than I ever saw him fly in his practices before. Yes, I've seen a few of his practices...

When I finally reached the Quidditch pitch (after bumping into fake doors and falling off moving staircases once or twice), the game had already started. I felt disappointed that I hadn't seen the start but I walked up the stands anyway to Florence who was watching the game in awe.

I stood beside her and she didn't even acknowledge my presence. Must be a Quidditch fan, that girl.

I watched James and Marlene. Marlene had the Quaffle and I could see James looking pretty pissed off. He flew beside her towards the Slytherins' goal posts.

"And there's McKinnon with the Quaffle!" said the commentator. "She's going to shoot? Well, this is a first! James Potter is actually sharing the spotlight today?"

Marlene flew nearer to the posts, dodging a Bludger once or twice. I saw James flying near her. He was shouting something, I knew it. But I couldn't hear him over the noise of the Gryffindors around me.

"Well, James Potter's getting angry! Not smart, McKinnon. Nobody likes an angry Potter."

"Mr. Corner, back to the game!" Professor McGonagall snapped, her voice close enough to the microphone to be heard.

"Right, well, very nice aim from Sirius Black and well! Looks like Flint's hit! Brilliant! Just six more to hit, Black!"

I saw Flint flip his middle finger up at Sirius. Sirius screamed a couple of swear words back before swinging his bat and aiming the Bludger at him again.

"Ah, pity. Didn't hit him this time," Corner said sounding truly disappointed. Then his excited voice was back. "And McKinnon's going to shoot! Is she? What's this? Smith, what are you doing?"

Smith must have been the blonde chaser who was flying as fast as lightning towards Marlene.

"Jesus Christ, woman! You're not allowed to bash your teammates off the air, are you?"

I would have snorted at Corner's curses and unnecessary comments but I was too busy staring down at Smith who was still flying to Marlene. Marlene ducked and Smith grabbed the Quaffle from her.

"Tricking and stealing the Quaffle from your own teammate? That's not exactly the ideal way to promote team work… And Smith gets hit by a Bludger sent by Crabbe! Slytherin takes the- Hold on, no! Potter's got the Quaffle! There he goes, faster than chimaera! He passed to Smith who passed back to Potter who passes down to McKinnon and she's going to shoot!"

The stands had become unusually quiet to see if Marlene could actually shoot it and it was quiet enough to hear James' screams.

"_WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING_?"

Everyone stared at the Slytherin keeper saved the Quaffle and threw it at Flint. The livid look on James' face had silenced the Gryffindors on the stands. The Slytherins were cheering for their chasers. The Slytherins had scored. Longbottom was too busy staring worriedly at James to see the Quaffle pass through the left hoop.

"And that's forty-twenty to Slytherin. Whoopie," Corner said unenthusiastically.

"_What is wrong with you_?" James screamed at Marlene.

"_If you didn't get the bloody Quaffle from me earlier, we'd have more points_!" Marlene spat.

"_If you just followed the strategies I taught you, we would be leading!_" James spat back.

Then he spat on Marlene's face.

Literally.

"Well, that was uncalled for," Corner said.

The Slytherins had scored three more times without anyone's attention except their fellow housemates. Everyone was staring at either the Slytherins scoring repeatedly or James and Marlene who were screaming at each other like there was no tomorrow. My eyes flicked to Benjy Fenwick who was already on the ground, his face buried in his hands. Beside him was another boy.

Sirius?

No it wasn't Sirius. He looked more serious looking… I mean… In both senses. He looked like Sirius and he looked more serious than Sirius.

Bloody hell.

"Am I seeing this correctly?" Corner said staring at the boy I was staring at with eyes bigger than Galleons. "Regulus Black? Has he gotten the snitch! Fuck, he did!"

"Language, Mr. Corner!"

"But look, Professor! He's got the snitch! None of even saw him! CHEATS!"

"SHUT UP, CORNER!" a Slytherin from the stands yelled.

"_FUCK_!" James' voice echoed in the pitch as he landed and threw his expensive-looking broom on the ground.

Justin Goldstein looked almost as angry as James when he landed. I saw the Gryffindor Quidditch team walking to their locker rooms. Florence, who I had forgotten was actually beside me, had grabbed my arm.

"Let's go," she whispered.

She dragged me down the stairs, pushing many other Gryffindors who were sulking over the defeat of our house. We reached the locker room door and waited for all the students to enter the castle. When a bunch of excited looking first years had entered at last, Florence had picked the lock quickly and opened the door slightly as silent as possible.

"I cant believe how bad you acted there today!" I heard Justin's voice.

"It wasn't my fault!" James snapped.

The scraping of a metal bench being pushed back was heard and made me assume that James had stood up.

"I have been training for weeks!" he continued. "I taught her all our strategies and plays! And what did she do today? _SHIT_."

"You spat on my face!"

"The only thing you're worthy enough to touch from me is my spit."

"How did you know about the forty five minutes before eleven thing anyway?" Smith asked sounded extremely grumpy. "You should have stayed. That way, we wont embarrass ourselves in front of the whole school."

"Remus found us."

Fuck.

I felt like kicking the door out of its hinges.

That stupid bastard!

I hadn't noticed my fists clenching but Florence did. She gave me a pointed look but I just shook my head. I let go of the door and I knew it sounded pretty loud. Florence looked at me with wide eyes and we bolted inside the castle.

* * *

><p>I was literally the only person in the library today. Fine, not really. But I was like one of the four people inside. Nobody's been visiting this place lately since the Christmas holidays were near. But I decided to come here for some peace and quiet.<p>

Florence has been bothering me a lot lately. I rarely got mad in front of her because I didn't want her to think there was something wrong with me. I wanted her to know I had a shitty life but I was perfectly fine. That way, no awkward questions would lead to awkward answers.

But she saw me get mad. That day we were listening to the meeting after Gryffindor's loss. She's been bothering me about it ever since. I didn't want to tell her I was actually the one who called them.

Why, you ask?

Because if James doesn't want to tell anyone, then I wont either. I know, I know, I should be angry. I was. I was very angry. But I cooled off and decided to just go with it. I didn't even know why I was so angry in the first place. If James said I was the one who called him, everyone would know about me.

_Everyone_.

And I don't even know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

And also, today was the second Hogsmeade weekend. Was I going? Well, seeing as I was in the library at nine in the morning, no, I was definitely not going to Hogsmeade. I had already been there once. Florence and I had tried listening to the Marauders' conversation in the Three Broomsticks. The place was packed with students so we could hear nothing.

What I didn't expect was a couple of Gryffindor boys entering the library that same day. It was a Hogsmeade weekend! They were supposed to be with girls or bonding with each other there!

The Marauders were also quiet when they entered. None of them were laughing, none of them were pushing. They looked almost… disciplined.

Apparently, Madam Pince found this just as odd as I did.

She walked past me and I put my book up to cover my face as I listened.

Florence is going to be so proud of me when she comes back from Hogsmeade.

"What do you think you four are doing here?" Madam Pince asked.

"We were just visiting," Peter said quickly. "Anything bad about that?"

"Chill out, Peter," James said cockily. "I got this."

"What have you got to say, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pince snapped. "Would you like to finally apologize for bewitching my books to drop on the students walking below them?"

"Didn't we do that in second year?" Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Forgot we actually visited this place once," James said.

"And that was supposedly that last time you were to visit!" Madam Pince said. "Now, _out_!"

"Come on, we got a letter!" Sirius said.

"Here it is," Remus said.

I imagined him handing Madam Pince a piece of parchment.

"'I, Professor Gridley, allow Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and James Potter to browse the restricted section for books to borrow about our ongoing lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts.'" Madam Pince read.

It was silent for a while then the librarian gave a sigh and let the boys in. They high fived each other and walked to the restricted section.

Woah, hold up.

They were actually going there?

I thought they were kidding.

The other three students in the library that day were three gossiping Ravenclaws. The Marauders passed their table and they all swooned. I even thought I saw one girl faint. Don't know… Probably imagined it.

They finally reached the doors of the restricted section. Without thinking, I stood up as quietly as possible and followed them there silently. The Ravenclaws didn't mind me because they were too busy whispering and giggling.

James was the one to open the door and they slipped inside.

Thank goodness Florence let me keep the invisibility cloak of hers.

I quickly put it on and slipped inside before the door closed. Florence had repeatedly told me before how loud my steps were whenever we stalked them. I didn't think they were too loud actually.

Over the last few times we eavesdropped on their conversations and followed them, we didn't get anything very interesting. Mostly about how Sirius is planning to ask this one girl out because apparently, he really likes her. Florence was fuming. I spent the next few days hearing her talk about how slutty that girl is. Even if Sirius never mentioned the girl's name.

Much like how she rants about Mary Macdonald.

So back inside the restricted section, I followed the Marauders to one of the aisles.

"Are you sure this was where you saw it, Sirius?" James whispered.

Why were they whispering? Nobody would even hear them from outside.

Unless they were doing something very illegal and needed to whisper about it.

I nearly snorted at the stupid thought.

"Well, I think it was here," Sirius whispered back. "The last time I was here was two months ago, mate. And I was caught. I don't really remember much."

"Well, it's worth a try," Remus said with a sigh.

What were they looking for anyway? Why did they all look so nervous? James was sweating like hell. I saw Sirius' eye twitch once or twice as he looked through the books. Remus' eyes kept darting to his friends then back at the books. Peter was sweating like James but he kept wiping it off his face and cleaning his hand on his robes.

Disgusting.

"The books aren't here," James finally said after minutes of looking. "Let's just split up, shall we?"

The other three had agreed. I automatically followed James. My goodness, I was such an idiot.

He walked to another aisle and lucky him because the first book he pulled out brightened his grumpy expression. Much like when he's in a bad mood and Lily Evans walks in the room. Yes, I know about their history. Florence told me about it. I've never really met Lily Evans in person. I usually only see her from afar so I cant really make out her face and features.

In other words, I cant look at her and see if she's good enough for James.

"Guys!" James said. "Guys, I think I found it!"

Sirius had appeared first.

"Brilliant, mate!" he said clapping James on the back.

Remus and Peter had joined them.

"There are so much more," Remus said in awe as he picked out more books from the shelves. "These will really help a lot."

"Are you sure they wont suspect a thing?" Peter said nervously.

"We're learning it, Peter," Sirius said. "They'll obviously think Moony just wants background reading on it."

"Yeah, that's right," James said.

"We still have to give that letter right?"

"Yeah! Sirius, is it still with you?" Remus asked quickly.

"Of course, I do!" Sirius said rolling his eyes. "You need to chill, mate! Is it your time of the month already?"

I snorted.

They all looked at my direction.

I froze.

Shit. I'm screwed.

I stayed where I was, hoping desperately I was completely covered. I saw James' eyes narrowing slightly but his friends had probably thought it was just some student outside because they returned to stacking the books they picked out.

"Someone's here," James muttered.

My heart sped up. And not only because of James.

"No one's here, James," Remus sighed.

He didn't look convinced but he dropped it and turned back to his friends. I saw Sirius pull out two pieces of parchment from his pocket. He glanced at one and snorted in disgust. Shaking his head, he slipped it inside one of the books he was holding. The other parchment must have been the letter because he gave it to Remus who nodded approvingly.

Remus had carried the books and they left the restricted section. I would have followed them out but I noticed they left one book. One that wasn't in Remus' pile. It was the one Sirius had been holding.

When I heard the door snap shut, I removed the cloak, putting it back in my bag (it was getting pretty hot in there), and took the book from the table. _Human Transformations By Jennifer Gold_, it said. Human transformations? Were we learning that in Defense?

I flipped the book open and a piece of parchment fell out.

The one Sirius had put in here.

Hands shaking slightly, I picked it up. It was a letter addressed to Sirius. Why had he looked at it in disgust earlier?

_Good morning, cousin. Surprised? I would be shocked if you aren't. I'm not the kind who just decides to write to their blood-traitor cousin, am I? Of course not. But I am writing to you and only because of one reason Since you are technically still a Black, I am deciding to invite you to a special occasion of mine. This is your last chance to prove yourself to us. Your last chance to prove that you are still loyal to the Black family._

_On the twenty-ninth of December, I am getting married to Rodolphus Lestrange. I have talked about it with your parents and they have been very supportive. They are allowing you to come but if you do anything to ruin it in any way, I will make sure you do not live to see the next day._

_Bellatrix Black_

Lestrange? Now why did that name sound so familiar?

There were two pieces of parchment folded inside the letter. I opened the first one, which was very short and written in a messy scrawl.

_I'd rather fuck a troll. -S_

I almost laughed. The next letter was from Bellatrix again.

_Attached is your useless letter. No one needs you there. I'm surprised you're not even out of the family tree yet. You were never one of us and-_

"What are you doing?"

I dropped the parchment and looked up.

"Sirius Black," I squeaked.

He frowned at me then he bent down, picking my the letters. He took the book from the table and look back at me.

"You're to keep your mouth shut, we clear?" he growled.

After my quick nervous nod, he left the restricted section.

I took slow and deep breaths to calm me down. That was possibly the scariest encounter I've had with someone in this school.

I slowly opened the door of the restricted section and checked if the Marauders had already left. Thankfully, they did. I quickly left the library and bolted to Gryffindor tower.

Thank God Florence had returned early from Hogsmeade because when I burst into the dormitory, she was sitting on her bed. I was about to say what I had discovered about Sirius then I heard her sobs.

Shit, she was crying.

* * *

><p><em>That's one secret down, plenty more to go. Sirius Black was a mystery. And the reason for Florence Flanagan's tears might help Cassie solve the puzzle.<em>

_"I've got quite a bit of a problem with my sadistic parents as well." -Sirius Black, Live To Die, Chapter Four, Mysteries To Solve_

* * *

><p><strong>Please tell me what you think!<strong>

**I've received many story alerts but I would really appreciate it if you found time to review for me to improve the chapters in the future. Thank you for reading. Have a nice day :)**


	6. A Very Interesting Christmas With Sirius

**A Very Interesting Christmas With Sirius**

Rule #4: If seen from afar, make sure to disappear as quickly as possible to make them think that it was their imagination.

* * *

><p><strong>JAMES<strong>

The match against Ravenclaw was a piece of cake. I couldn't help but brag a little to a few third years girls. But hey, they asked.

I was so glad Sirius had joined the team this year. You see, I'll fill you in with a little secret. Sirius never tried out for the team this year. Why, you ask? Because he's already the best bloody Beater in this school.

He could give Goldstein a run for his money.

Okay, maybe not. Goldstein's better than you think he is. But the other reason why Sirius didn't tryout was because he was already in the team before. He was the reserve Beater. Marshal Finch was the Beater before and during tryouts in second year, he and Sirius were almost tied. Unfortunately, our captain then, Sissy Zeller, had chosen Finch but she kindly let Sirius be the reserve Beater.

Unfortunately for Sirius, he didn't play any matches because Finch was like made of steel.

Sirius thought he needed to tryout again to get the Beater position but Goldstein had told him he didn't need to and that's why only one spot was needed on the team which was a chaser.

And that's where Marlene McKinnon comes in.

I think she can give Evans a run for her money in the 'annoying James Potter' category.

I swear, I would find the first opportunity to push her off her broomstick.

That bloody piece of shit had screwed up in the last match as well. If Goldstein hadn't shouted at her in one of the time-outs, I think we would have another episode in the air.

God, I want her out of the team so bad.

But obviously, that's not going to happen. First of all, she was obviously the most decent during tryouts so we had no choice but to let her in despite her bitchy attitude.

"Yeah, I think he's thinking of her again."

Well, hello there, Sirius. Thank you for distracting me from insulting McKinnon in my mind.

"James, you have got to let it go," Remus said from behind the book he was reading.

"I've got to go to the bathroom," Peter announced standing up only to sit back down again because the train gave a violent lurch.

Sucks that he had to sit on Sirius.

"Peter, get the fuck off!" he gasped pushing Peter to the floor.

"Sorry," Peter grunted, standing up and leaving our compartment.

"Anyway, I'm not letting it go," I said with a huff. "I'm not letting it go until that girl is out of my team."

"You do know you're not captain yet, right?" Remus said with a small smile.

"I'm talking about the future matches!" I exclaimed. "When I'm captain, that girl's going to be saying bye bye to the Gryffindor team and'll be saying hello again to her loser life before she was in Quidditch."

"Hey, lots of boys like her you know," Sirius added.

"Whatever! We don't! And were the most important boys in that school."

"Oh, James, James. I will never get tired of your overgrown ego," Remus said fondly.

"Guys, guys!" Peter squeaked walking back inside the compartment and closing the sliding door behind him.

"What's up, Pete?" Sirius asked.

Peter sat beside him and handed him a newspaper.

"The Daily Prophet?" Sirius said frowning. "Where'd you get this?"

"I found it in the hallway," Peter explained. "I think someone threw it down and stepped on it. Hence, the dirty footprint."

I glanced at the front page and the second my eyes laid on the name 'Hunter', I took it out of Sirius' hands who protested loudly. I shushed him and read the article. The boys had gathered around me to read.

**MUGGLE-BORN WITCH AND WIZARD MISSING**

_By: Sissy Zeller_

_In a small Muggle town in West Sussex, last December eleven, an explosion was caused by none other than Harrison Hunter and his ally Bellatrix Black. The pair were spotted by a Muggle living in said town. A picture was taken and given to a police officer who was a wizard disguised as a Muggle. The wizard had submitted the picture to the Ministry and they have confirmed that these indeed are the two well-known followers of You-Know-Who._

_After the search of survivors, the Muggle police had reported the missing bodies of a married couple living in said town. The married couple's house had been completely destroyed but their bodies were nowhere to be found._

_"Yes, they were in the house," confirmed one of the survivors of the explosion. "My own house isn't very far from theirs. I could hear their arguments from inside my bathroom!"_

_The Ministry has confirmed that the married couple living in the small Muggle town had been two Muggle-borns who had recently divorced. The Ministry assures everyone that they are sending the best aurors to search for them and the Death Eaters who had caused this tragedy._

_Turn to page three for pictures._

I quickly turned the newspaper for page three but part of the page had been ripped out. It was the picture beside Bellatrix Black's. The caption below the ripped part had said 'Harrison Hunter'.

"I cant believe I'm related to that psychopath," Sirius muttered darkly.

I barely heard him. Without thinking, I stood up and threw the newspaper on the floor. I slid the door open and left the compartment, ignoring Remus' questions.

The hallway was packed as usual. I pushed through the groups of students, looking around for the familiar flash of blonde hair. Problem was, many students had blonde hair here.

Finally, I reached a compartment where I saw her. She was alone and she looked outside the window with a mindless expression on her face. She hugged her knees close to her and it was obvious she had been crying.

This didn't stop me from rudely barging in with my wand out.

"Nobody told me," I growled, sliding the door closed behind me.

With a flick of my wand, the blinds closed so no one could see what was happening inside the compartment.

"James," she croaked. "You don't understand."

"I don't understand?" I said my voice rising. "I don't _fucking_ understand?"

"No, you don't," she said tears filling her eyes.

My face fell. No, no, no. She cant cry. Not in front of me. Please, you have got to be kidding me!

She's crying. She's bloody crying. What do I do! Should I ask her what's wrong?

Of course not, you bloody idiot! YOU MADE HER CRY!

Okay, okay. I should stop talking to myself now. Oh, come on! She's crying some more! Can she see how much I'm panicking inside right now?

She wiped her tears with the jumper she was wearing.

"Don't you know why I'm living with you?" she asked quietly.

"Family problems," I answered. "That's what dad always says. I don't get why I don't know the real reason why! I deserve to know! You're living under my roof, for Merlin's sake!"

"That's because you'll judge me!" she screamed standing up. "No one can know!"

"Harrison Hunter," I said quickly. "Who's this guy? Are you related to him? Brother? Cousin? _What_?"

"You cant know!" she insisted. "How would you know if we're related in any way? He might just be some other guy with the last name Hunter! Just leave, _please_."

She was just making things more complicated, that girl. The worst part was the fact that she was coming home with me. I didn't think I could stand her any longer.

The train had stopped. Cassie Hunter breathed heavily as she stared at me with her teary eyes and tear-stained face. She grabbed her trunk and pushed me aside to leave the compartment.

I ran back to my own compartment with the boys. Remus and Sirius immediately asked where I had gone. I ignored them and lifted my trunk from the metal rack. I left the trunk without saying a 'goodbye' or a 'see you soon'. They knew something was bothering me.

They couldn't know yet. They didn't even know Hunter was living with me. That was the last thing I wanted them to know. Nobody needed to know that.

Mum and Dad were already there when I got off the train. Hunter was still nowhere to be found. Mum was waving for me to come over. I dragged my trunk and walked towards them.

She hugged me as soon as I got there. Dad clapped me on the back and started to look around. Of course. He still had to look for T.U.B. From now on, I'm calling her T.U.B. Her name wasn't worthy coming from my mouth much more in my head.

"Ah, Cassie, there you are!" Dad said as he took T.U.B.'s trunk.

"Hey, Mr. Potter," she said with a smile.

"Shall we go then?" Mum asked.

I grunted and Mum took that as a yes. She grabbed my arm and we spun on the spot.

Apparating is not exactly my favorite way of traveling but much better than floo powder, I assure you.

When my feet touch the floor of the Potter manor's living room, I grinned. Home, sweet home.

* * *

><p>"James?"<p>

Oh, please no. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away.

"James, come on wake up."

No, no, no, no, NO!

Right, first of all, it's Christmas morning. One does not simply wake me up in the morning. Christmas morning or not. I-DO-NOT-LIKE-ANYONE-WAKING-ME-UP. Second, this girl was the last person I wanted to see during Christmas.

I definitely did not want my Christmas to be ruined so early.

"Get your bloody arse out of that bed and get up, you piece of shit!"

Okay, well, I may have been imagining the girl voice when I heard my name because this was definitely not T.U.B.

I slowly opened my eyes to see the one and only, Sirius Black. The second I laid my eyes on him, I raged.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I screamed throwing the bed covers off me and standing up to face Sirius.

"Your mum wanted me to surprise you and all so I-"

"_You cant just come here anytime you want_!"

"Well, I've been doing it for quite a while now. How come you're only upset now?"

"BECAUSE YOU CANT JUST DO THIS!"

I saw the door wide open and I mentally cursed. I kicked the door for it to close and I turned back to Sirius who was frowning at me.

He was right. He always came here unexpectedly. There was a bloody fireplace in my room. He flooed here all the time. Why was I reacting so badly today? BECAUSE BLOODY T.U.B. WAS IN THE HOUSE!

What if he already saw her? Shit, I am so screwed! Mum knew I didn't like T.U.B.! Is she trying to torture me? Maybe it was a trick! Maybe she wanted the bloody girl to meet my friends! NO, SHE CANT JUST DO THAT!

Apparently, Sirius could sense me raging inside because his frown deepened and patted me on the shoulder.

"Er… You all right, mate?" he asked slowly.

I breathed deeply. Shut up and act normal, James. He cant figure out. He couldn't have seen her yet, right? If he did, he would have mentioned it by now! Yeah, yeah, he would. He hasn't seen her yet. THANK MERLIN.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "Just a bit… A bit early, isn't it? You know I'm not normally in the right head when it's early…"

"Yeah, you're definitely not," he said. "Anyway, your Mum's making chocolate pancakes, mate! Come on!"

He turned to open the door.

"NO!" I shouted making him look back at me. "Just… wait for me… Cant have you eating all the pancakes, now can I?"

Sirius chuckled and sat on my bed. I grabbed some clothes and changed in the bathroom.

Okay, Sirius wasn't an idiot no matter how many times he acted like one. He'd see through my act soon and think something's wrong with me. This wasn't supposed to happen! Sirius wasn't supposed to visit and if he was, he'd have to stay in my room!

Shit, shit, shittidy, shit!

Breathe, James, breathe. Just put your shorts on and walk back in the bedroom.

I opened the bathroom door only to see an empty bed. No Sirius sitting on it, no nothing.

"_Dammit, Sirius_!" I hissed to myself.

I bolted outside the bedroom door and ran down the stairs. Please, T.U.B., you have got to still be sleeping right now. Please, please, please, please.

When I reached the dining room, Sirius laughed at me for actually believing that he'd stay. Typical Sirius. And thank Merlin he was sitting on the table alone. I sat on my usual place and immediately started to eat.

"Happy Christmas, by the way," Sirius said happily.

"Yeah, you too," I muttered as drank my goblet of pumpkin juice in one go.

"Well, someone's a bit stressed today, huh?" he chuckled.

"No, no, I'm just a bit excited for the presents, you know?" I said blinking wildly and grinning like a patient in the asylum. "Yay, presents…"

"All right, you're not in the right head," Sirius said dropping his fork.

And that exact moment, T.U.B. had entered the room. Thank goodness Sirius had been frowning at me that time.

She looked surprised as she entered. I immediately put my hand on Sirius head and pushed it under the table.

"James, what the fuck! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

I wildly used my hands while mouthing 'GET OUT' to T.U.B. She looked confused. I continued to point at the living room and mouthed 'GET OUT' repeatedly.

She finally got the message and ran into the living room. I sighed in relief and released Sirius' hair. His head appeared from under the table and glared at me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he said with a weird face.

"PRESENTS!" I said faking excitement.

I dragged him towards the living room but when I opened the door, I saw T.U.B.

"Shit!" I cursed and pushed Sirius back inside the dining room.

He repeatedly cursed me from pushing him but I barely listened to him because I was too busy pointing to the staircase. When T.U.B. finally disappeared upstairs, I dragged Sirius inside the living room.

"Okay, something's really bothering you today," he said frowning.

"No, nothing's going on just _OPEN YOUR PRESENTS_," I said snarling the last part.

Sirius didn't hesitate. I didn't know if it was because of excitement or because of the tone of my voice. He immediately picked up the first gift he saw from under our Christmas tree. It was his gift from Remus which was a book (no surprises there) about how to pick up girls.

Well, Remus got him a pretty decent book for once.

His gift to me was a box of brownies made by himself. Okay, Moony's got this secret that only I know.

He bakes.

He bakes bloody well too. He thinks he'll be made fun off for doing something that everyone thinks is done by girls. I made fun of him actually when I found out… I know I'm not nice. But when he made me try his best brownies, baking was the manliest thing in the world.

And I wasn't saying that only because Moony bakes the best brownies in the world.

Sirius and I talked as we opened our presents. Thank Merlin my voice was back to normal and I wasn't sweating like I was taking a bath.

"Hey, mate," Sirius said after a long silence.

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked as I watched the mini Nimbus I got from my aunt as it flew around the room.

"If you were gay, who'd you go for?"

He had laid down on the carpet with his hands locked behind his head. I joined him as I lay down on the carpet.

"Mate, is this a confession?" I laughed.

"_Fuck_, no!" he said with a snort. "Just curious and all. I heard this bloke from Ravenclaw was a queer. I mean, what if we were like that? Who would you go for?"

"Bloody hell, mate. This is hard. Don't know about you but I keep my flirting side _away_ from men."

Sirius laughed.

"But really?" I continued. "I'd go for Goldstein."

"Are you kidding?" he said in disbelief. "Goldstein? Really?"

"Hey, I'm not his biggest fan but you have got to admire that hair."

"Nah, I'm not really one for the blondes."

"Excuse me?" I said frowning. "Name one blonde you haven't called fit in this entire school!"

"There are plenty!" he said. "There's Goldstein, Nott,-"

"I meant girls, you idiot!"

"Fine! Have I ever called Dainty fit? She's a blonde!"

"Do you even know what dainty means?" I laughed. "You've nicknamed Denise Smith something that's practically a synonym of fit!"

"Right, well, there's Hunter."

I quickly glanced at him. He was still calm and his eyes boringly stared at the ceiling. I, on the other hand, was beginning to panic inside again. Okay, just don't answer. Maybe he'll drop the subject. Why had I even brought up the subject of blondes anyway? T.U.B. was a bloody blonde for Merlin's sake!

"She's not bad looking, you know," Sirius continued.

"I- I guess she doesn't look bad," I stuttered. "So do you fancy her or anything?"

He gave me a weird look. He better not fancy her! She was the bloody enemy!

"Why would I fancy her?"

"I don't know! You said she's not bad looking so that made me assume-"

"Do you fancy her?" he asked with an annoying grin.

"Of course, I don't!" I nearly shouted. "Has the way I've been acting around her enough for you think that I hate her guts?"

"I was just playing!" Sirius laughed. "Don't get your knickers in a twist! Anyway, back to the real discussion now. Who else would you go for if you were gay? Besides Goldstein and I still find that fucking disgusting by the way."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know… Remus, maybe?"

"Remus?" he asked sounding surprised. "Hmm… Never really thought about him before."

"He's got nice hair."

"And here we go with the blondes again," Sirius drawled.

"Nah, Moony's got more of a brownish color, you know?"

"Yeah, the shade's a bit darker than the usual yellow. He's not the gross kind of skinny either. Like you know the ones where you can see the bones from their skin. Fucking disgusting."

"Yeah, he's the nice kind of skinny. I'd rather have him skinny than obese, you know? Oh, and his problem. If I was gay, I'd find it sexy."

"Damn, I mean, who wouldn't find it sexy? Once a month, he's outside ripping trees from the ground. I'd be turned on."

"Definitely, yeah. With a bit more muscles, he'd really hit it off with the ladies _and_ the gents."

"Mhm…"

It was silent as we stared at the ceiling. Then Sirius decided to break the silence again.

"We're never speaking 'bout this ever again."

"Yeah, come on let's do something manly to get our balls back in the right place."

* * *

><p>We ended up baking in the kitchen.<p>

Hey, I'm telling you! It's as manly as it can be!

"We need flour, sugar, eggs-"

"Yeah, I got the eggs."

Then an egg was thrown at me. Thanking my Quidditch reflexes, I caught the egg (carefully trying not to crack it) and threw it back at Sirius. It hit his forehead and cracked making the gooey egg fall down his face.

I laughed at face but too long to notice Sirius get a handful of flour from the container. While my mouth was wide open, he threw the flour at me resulting to my coughing and eye-sore.

"Okay, _ahem_, okay, stop!" I coughed. "We've got to start!"

I had added all the ingredients in the bowl and yet Sirius stir. I set the oven and checked the dough.

Only to find the bowl nearly empty.

"SIRIUS, NO!"

I pounced at him and we both ended up on the floor. I tried getting the spoonful of cookie dough from Sirius but he held it up high.

"Try catching it, midget," he laughed.

I pushed his face roughly and reached up to get the spoon.

"Disgusting," I muttered.

"Oi, come on, mate! That's my spoon!"

And before I knew it, I was pushed back down by Sirius who was desperately trying to get the wooden spoon from me. He got the spoon and forcefully took it from it. He ran out of the kitchen. I grabbed an egg from the container and followed him to the living room.

I took aim and threw the egg at the back of his head. It hit and he clutched his gooey wet hair in pain.

"That hurt!" he said.

"That's for ruining dessert!"

Well, I had expected him to kick me or something but I did not expect him to throw the wooden spoon at my face.

"What in the world is going on in here?"

Sirius and I smiled guiltily at Mum.

"Hullo," I said with a nerved chuckle.

We ended up being sent to our rooms to take a shower.

"Did you get some research about the…. you know?" I asked Sirius when he walked out of my bathroom fully clothed and hair still wet.

"Our library's not exactly the kind of place I'd find a 'How To Become An Animagus For Dummies' book," he muttered sitting on my office chair.

I lay down on my bed playing with my own Quaffle.

"You're still up for it, right?" I asked.

"Of course, I am!" Sirius exclaimed. "I'd do anything for Remus."

"Yeah, same here."

"D'you think it'll help him though? I mean, we cant go through as this trouble with doubts. We have to know that this will help him for sure."

"I've done a bit of research my self, mate," I said throwing the Quaffle up and catching it. "It'll help him for sure. It's better with other animals around."

"I'm just worried about him, you know," Sirius said gazing outside my window. "What if something goes wrong with our stuff? He'll lose his chances of actually getting help."

"Nothing going to go wrong," I assured him. "We've already started and it's going like the directions say."

Sirius and I had decided to fly outside in our pitch. It was the perfect place because T.U.B. didn't play Quidditch so she wouldn't even think of going here! I had called Julie to send Sirius and me some drinks. We sat on the grass with our ice-cold pumpkin juice.

We chatted a bit as I gazed at our manor. I caught a pair of green eyes staring at us from one of the windows but after blinking, they were gone.

Weird.

"So who're you guys inviting for the New Year's Eve Ball?" Sirius asked.

The New Years Eve Ball! How the hell could I forget about that?

Every year, we Potters invite almost the whole Ministry to come to a New Years Eve Ball. A lot of Hogwarts students had parents working in the Ministry and those students even brought friends so the number of minors in the party was almost as much as the adults.

Fine, maybe not that much.

But we were a lot too.

"You're coming, obviously," I said. "I don't I'll be able to survive the party without you guys."

"It's not like I have a choice," Sirius said darkly. "My parents work there, remember? Remus and Peter are coming then?"

"Peter's dad works in the Ministry so he's obviously going. I'll tell Remus to come later. Thanks for reminding me, by the way," I said standing up. "We've got to help Mum and Dad decorate the ballrooms."

Sirius rolled his eyes and stood up. "They really have to work today? It's Christmas!"

"I haven't even greeted them yet!"

We ran back inside the house and took the stairs up to the the ballroom on the second floor. I saw dad charming two of the Christmas trees to flash different colors of lights that illuminated the room.

"Happy Christmas, Dad!" I said cheerfully as I pulled out my own wand.

"Oh, no you don't, son," Dad said with a smile. "No magic outside of Hogwarts. Looks like you better hang up the sign with your hands."

"Fuck that," I muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"If I hear you saying things like that again, I'll be forced to glue your lips together."

Of all the people to hear me curse, it had to be my Mum. She glared at me and I smiled ruefully at her.

"Happy Christmas!"

I saw her roll her eyes and started helping Dad with the Christmas trees.

"James, where's Ca-"

"I DONT KNOW!" I shouted.

Mum looked at me, obviously startled at my answer. I shook my head furiously, grabbed Sirius' arm and dragged him out of the ballroom.

"We'll be in ballroom two, Mum!" I said waving goodbye.

We ran up to the third floor where ballroom two was. This was where the Ministry guests would be staying. Ballroom one was for the kids and all. I started hanging decorations on the Christmas trees and Sirius sat down and handed me them.

Or threw them at my head and I caught it before it hit.

Hey, I'm not a Star Chaser for nothing.

"JAMES?" Mum called from downstairs. "WILL YOU PLEASE GET SOME MORE DECORATIONS FROM THE FOURTH FLOOR?"

"COMING MUM!" I shouted back but as I shouted, I didn't see Sirius throwing a Christmas ball at me and it hit my head pretty hard. "AH!"

Sirius laughed out loud as I glared at him. I took the ball from the floor, imagining it as a smaller version of a Quaffle. I took aim and threw it at his forehead.

The ball hit, broke and fell on the floor. Sirius gasped in pain as he clutched his forehead. He muttered curses at me. Rolling my eyes, I left the ballroom to get the decorations from the fourth floor.

Sirius followed me out and we climbed up the staircase.

"So where are these decorations?" Sirius asked once we reached the fourth floor. "Is it in here?"

"Wha- no! SIRIUS, NO!"

But too late. Sirius had opened T.U.B.'s bedroom door and I had not expected to see her soaking wet and wrapped in a towel.

I had never seen anyone turn redder than a tomato as fast as that.

"Cassie Hunter?" Sirius said in surprise. "What in the world-"

Then he turned to me. His eyes showed realization and surprise.

"Oh my God, you two are dating."

* * *

><p><em>This was definitely not the way James imagined Sirius finding out that he lived with T.U.B. But it could have been worse than Sirius seeing her practically naked in the room in front of James'. Okay, maybe it was bad. It sounded bad and it definitely looked bad. And of all the people to find out like this, it had to be Sirius dirty-minded-bastard Black.<em>

_"You thought of that name you little green-minded bastard." -James Potter, Live To Die, Chapter Four, Operation: M.O.I.D.I.C_

* * *

><p><strong>Not my best and not the most action-packed but type me your thoughts anyway :)<strong>

**To answer an anonymous reviewer, I don't really have dates on when I update. When I finish typing the chapter, I update.**

***ATTENTION: I'll be going away until Tuesday. I'm very excited for the next chapter (I promise it will be MUCH better) and I'll try typing during my free time on my vacation :)**


	7. Awkward, Awkward, Everything Awkward

**Awkward, Awkward, Everything Awkward**

_Rule #5: When surrounded by crowds, act normal and do not attract too much attention to yourself._

* * *

><p>"Do you like it?"<p>

"It's beautiful."

I looked at myself in the mirror. The gray and silver dress was pretty short but somehow, it was comfortable. My blonde hair was down in its usual curls. Mrs. Potter didn't want to put it up. I had grown a few inches because of a pair of silver heels.

Don't look at me. Mrs. Potter wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I've always wanted a daughter," Mrs. Potter said as she watched me look at myself in the expensive dress she had bought me.

"Why didn't you have a child after James?" I asked her.

"Because one child is enough," she said with a chuckle. "Especially if that child is James. How are you two? Are you getting along well?"

No. Not in the slightest.

But I wasn't going to tell her that.

After the little incident I had with him and Sirius, I've tried to avoid him in any way I can. But whenever he did see me in the house, he would send me the filthiest glare I've ever received.

They walked in on me after I took a bath. Sirius thought James and I were dating.

Oh, I wish.

James had immediately explained everything to him but for some reason, Sirius didn't really believe him but he dropped it. After Sirius left, James had started to blame everything on me. He told me I should have locked the door since I was practically naked.

Well, I was going to but before I could even take a step nearer to the door, it burst open.

"Yeah, we're all right," I said.

Lie.

"He isn't bothering you in any way?"

Yes, he's bothering me in every way.

"No, not really."

Lie.

"He's been in quite a bad mood these days."

Because I, apparently, am to blame for the Sirius-Seeing-Me-In-The-House incident.

"Well, I don't remember pissing him off the past few days."

Lie.

"So you two can take a shot at being friends?"

Not in a million years.

"Yeah, I think so."

Lie.

"That's great," Mrs. Potter said smiling. "I'm glad you two sorted it out."

Hah! I wouldn't call it 'sorting it out'.

"Yeah, I'm really glad."

Lie.

"When you feel like it, go to ballroom one of the second floor. James should already be there."

As soon as Mrs. Potter left, I took a deep breath. I had to talk to James. I was made Gryffindor, yeah? I should be brave enough to just talk to him.

I muttered comforting words to myself and left my bedroom. I walked to the ballroom where booming music was heard. The place was packed. Some were sitting and eating with their friends. Some were dancing on the dance floor. I saw James with his friends. They were huddled in one corner.

I shan't put Florence's teachings to waste.

What would Florence do in this situation?

Of course she'd wait for James to be alone. As if on cue, I saw three of them leave and only one black-haired boy was left by the corner. I couldn't really see him clearly from the entrance but I assumed it was James.

I danced my way to the other end of the ballroom so I wouldn't look too suspicious, walking alone in the side. That would earn me some awkward questions I wouldn't be able to answer.

I finally reached the drinks table where he was pouring some punch into his cup. If only I noticed his sleek hair. If only I did.

But of course, I didn't.

I grabbed his arm and I thanked Merlin that there was another door here. I pulled him outside and opened the first door I saw. Pushing him inside, I hastily walked in and closed the door behind me.

"So…"

Then I realized that low voice was not owned by James Potter.

My hand reached up to the light switch and the moment the light filled the room, I wanted to scream.

Sirius Black stood in front of me with a frown on his face and his cup of punch on his hand. He wore formal dress robes and his hair was just as perfect as ever. I wanted to stab myself for not noticing that he was not James.

"I'm so sorry!" I squeaked. "I was- James, he was- I didn't notice-"

"Uh, it's quite all right, really," Sirius said before taking small sip from his cup.

I buried my face in my hands in embarrassment. Fuck, I was such a screw up.

"Why did you want James inside here anyway?" he asked.

I looked around and realized that we were inside one of the Potter's bathrooms. Shit, no one better walk in here.

"I wanted to talk to him," I said quietly. "He's been ignoring me and all and I wanted to say sorry…"

"Hunter, you do know that James hated you since the day he first saw you, right?" Sirius said with raised eyebrows.

"My first day here, you were here too," I said realizing something. "I heard you two talking! James told you I was here!"

"He told me Mr. Potter brought you home for dinner because you were homeless and kicked you out to live in the streets."

What-the-fuck.

Then there was awkward silence. Maybe I should just push him outside and I can sit under the shower hugging myself as I cried. Then I realized I didn't even answer his question.

"I know he hated me," I said.

"Then you should just deal with his insults and such," Sirius said with a shrug. "Why do you want him to forgive you anyway? The boy's been torturing you in Hogwarts. Bloody hell, I help him! Why aren't you slapping me with a newspaper or something?"

"Because I don't want to! Look, there's good in each and every one of us. I'm not going to assume James is pure evil just because he bullies people younger and weaker than him. I personally still haven't seen the whole side of James Potter that's good but I've caught glimpses of it. I don't like looking at the bad side of people especially when I know there's some good in them."

Sirius stared at me as he finished his cup of punch then he opened his mouth to speak.

"It's either you're just awfully nice," he said. "or you fancy James."

I think my face turned red faster than when Sirius and James saw me in nothing but a towel.

Sirius smirked triumphantly.

"I knew it."

"I do not!" I snapped.

"Don't worry, Hunter. Maybe he'll give up on Evans and go for you instead," he said with a shrug. "God knows I'd rather have him ask you out everyday than Evans."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Because you'd actually say yes," Sirius said, sitting down on the toilet seat with a sigh.

I didn't answer him and he continued to talk.

"The way Evans rejects James is just cruel and uncalled for. James is human too! He gets hurt! I know he does. No matter how many times he tells me he's fine, I know he's not. Whenever he gets a no from Evans, he's not as happy and carefree like the normal James who's with us everyday and suggesting pranks. I've tried talking to Evans. Merlin knows that didn't end well."

"So, do you like how James obsesses over Lily Evans?" I asked.

"No," he said immediately. "I don't. I don't see why he just doesn't give up on her already. He's fancied her since first year. I don't know what he sees in that girl! Everyone says she's nice and sweet but to James, she's just a stuck-up bitch."

I didn't know what to say, To be honest, whenever I would actually hear someone talk about Lily Evans it would be about how pretty and how smart and kind she is. Even Florence told me Lily Evans was the top of her class. Too bad I've never really seen her except for a few glimpses and when I do actually see her, she's in the other end of the room where I barely see her.

It's weird since we're housemates and in the same year and the same classes and I don't even know her whole face.

This was the first time I heard someone say bad things about Lily Evans.

"I'm going back to the party," Sirius said, standing up. "Don't expect a lower number of pranks in the coming months. I'll pretend this conversation never happened."

"_Five, four-_"

The countdown had started.

Sirius had opened the door and looked back at me, his gray eyes looking into my green ones. A flash of realization crossed his face but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"_Three, two, one, HAPPY NEW YEAR_!"

He gave me a short nod and left the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a snap.

* * *

><p>Wake up, morning prank, breakfast, classes, lunch, classes, after-school prank, dinner and sleep. If I'm unlucky or if one of the Marauders are in a bad mood, I get a before-sleeping prank.<p>

That's a normal day for me and surprisingly, January was a normal month. Nothing new. Voldemort was still out there taking lives like it was a hobby of his. The Marauders were still doing shenanigans. I was still a target of theirs.

Oh, I think I remember something new!

For one whole month, Florence had not spied, eavesdropped or taken any pictures of the Marauders. She rarely talks, she actually does her homework early, she doesn't sleep in History of Magic ad most importantly, she's acting civil towards Mary Macdonald who is just as surprised with her change of attitude as I am.

I was worried about her. I knew about her family incident and as much as I knew she hated her parents for splitting up and forgetting what their children thought about it, she was devastated of their disappearance.

And worst of all, my dad was the one who took them.

Wait, no. That wasn't the worst. The worst was the fact that Florence didn't know that it was my dad and she's cursed him countless times aloud and I'm pretty sure that if she sees him, she'd go ballistic and pull out her wand before I could blink.

Yes, I'm screwed. But I cant tell her. I really really cant. She's my first and only friend in Hogwarts and couldn't tell her. She'd leave me. She'd tell me I was just as bad as my dad.

I already knew that. I didn't need to hear it from someone else. Especially from Florence.

The month of February was definitely not my favorite month. It wasn't even close.

Why, you ask?

Because February is the month of my birthday.

I used to look forward to my birthday. When I was still a part of a young and happy family, I would count the days until I would walk down the stairs and see a giant wrapped box with a ribbon and a card saying from mum and dad.

But ever since my family was killed, I had blamed myself. I know, it's not right but I did. I continuously blamed myself but you know what's worse? My dad not even assuring me that it wasn't. I remember crying to him and telling him that everything was my fault and he'd just stood there, not even looking at me. He simply looked bored.

You know what else sucks? The day of my birthday was on the fourteenth.

How convenient. Just what I need. (Note the heavy sarcasm in those words)

And of course, the day of my birthday just had to be the day where everything falls apart.

"Miss Hunter, do you wish to stand up, exit my classroom and sleep outside on the floor instead?" Professor McGonagall snapped.

My head jerked up and my eyes met Professor McGonagall's cold ones and I immediately sat up straight and grabbed my quill to take down notes. She gave me one last cold look and continued her discussion.

Okay, so I must have been exaggerating when I said everything just falls apart. I know it was just Professor McGonagall scolding me for sleeping in class but wait, there's more.

After Transfiguration was the end of classes. I walked with Florence up to Gryffindor tower. We didn't talk. I really wished we would. But Florence kept her mouth closed and all I heard was the sound of our footsteps.

She didn't greet me today. Why would she? She didn't know it was my birthday. Nobody did.

I liked to keep it that way.

"Well, well, it's Hunter and her redhead friend."

No, no, no, no. Why was he here? He couldn't prank me today! He hasn't pranked me for the whole the day! I thought he was at least giving me a rest!

Florence shot me a worried look. I jerked my head towards the portrait of the Fat Lady which was just at the end of the hallway they were in. She shook her head furiously but I gave her a push. She gave me one last look with her big eyes and she ran to the portrait.

She was loyal. She really was. But if I wanted to handle this alone, she would know not to insist on it.

"She's not the bravest soldier in the bunch, is she?" James said raising his eyebrows at Florence's back until it disappeared inside the common room.

"She's actually really brave," I blurted out. "You just don't know her."

I could see James' friends behind him. Sirius' eyes boringly stared into mine. Remus was nervously looking from me to James. Peter was doing the same except he looked more excited.

"We've been busy, Hunter," James said, turning back to me. "Surprised you received no prank today?"

"Quite," I replied. "And what exactly were you busy with?"

"Like I would actually tell you that!" James laughed. "Anyway, I think you and your friend are on to something."

"What are you talking about?" I asked quickly, frowning.

He shrugged. "Just a thought, you know. You two seem so… secretive."

I didn't answer and he grinned, pulling his wand out. Next thing I knew, I was hoisted up in the air by my ankle. My hands immediately reached for my school skirt. The upside-down faces of the Marauders were grinning evilly at me. Or at least, James, Sirius and Peter.

James took a step nearer to me and whispered in my ear.

"I know who your dad is, Hunter, and what he did to your friend over there. And seeing as you're practically sweating like hell, I'll assume I'm the only one who knows in this school and your redhead friend doesn't. Poor lass. I wonder what she'll think if she finds out."

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. HOW THE HELL DID HE FIND OUT?

He was right. I was sweating like hell. My panicked expression was a give away. He was the only one who knew about it in this school and he knew it.

Actually, Sirius knew. But he didn't know who I was when I told him.

"What do you want?" I whispered.

"I'll think about it, Hunter," James said, grinning. "What I do know is that I can make you do anything… Unless, you want the whole Hogwarts to know your father is Harrison Hunter. You'll be judged like you were never judged before. You don't want that, do you?"

I didn't. For years, all I wanted was to fit in and be liked. But my father's position will definitely not help me with that especially if everyone knew.

James took a step backward, still grinning.

"I'll see you around, Hunter."

And the four left.

I was still hanging upside-down.

You know what they say... Shit happens.

* * *

><p>The Easter holidays came and went. I stayed in Hogwarts. James returned home with his friends. That way, I wouldn't be discovered by Remus and Peter. He just had to watch my bedroom door and pray nobody enters it and sees all my things in it.<p>

I also wanted to spend as much time away from James and his friends. He hasn't done anything to me yet. Nor did he tell me to do things for him. But I was scared. I was scared as hell. What did he want me to do? Do his homework for the whole year? Help him cheat on his O.W.L.'s next year? Get Professor McGonagall to love him and never give him detention?

Fuck. I was so scared, I almost peed in my pants whenever I saw him.

The boys had returned to Hogwarts a day before classes started. Why the hell did they not stay in the Manor? That way, I would be able to finish fourth year in peace.

May arrived and still, I received no orders from James or his friends. Maybe he forgot. Yes, that's right. Maybe he hit his head on a pole and forgot all about our encounter.

Exams were slowly coming closer. Or maybe it was us coming closer to the date. Florence had returned to her normal self. We started to talk again and laugh. I would see her smiling more often now and the moment she sees a Marauder, she'd spring up into stalker-action.

What is very annoying for us whenever she try to spy on them, they just suddenly disappear. Like, I'm not even joking! One minute, they're in this hallway then Florence and I hide when they turn their heads to see if anyone's there. When we look back, they're gone!

It was all very odd but I didn't let it bother me. It bothered Florence greatly, though. I wouldn't be able to live a day where she's not ranting to me about how annoying it is to lose them so easily.

I put up with Florence's rants because I was happy that she was back to normal.

But of course, all the things that make me happy will just fall apart in the end.

"It's the Quidditch final today," Florence said happily as she wrapped a red and gold scarf around her neck.

I pulled a Gryffindor sweater on and I let Florence drag me down the stairs and out of the common room. We made our way to the Great Hall where the Gryffindors and Slytherins were yelling insults at each other and Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn were trying to make the students sit down.

A Gryffindor was holding up a sign that said:

**WE HAVE POTTER**

**YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID**

"That doesn't even make sense," a Slytherin beside me muttered.

Florence was already sitting down on the Gryffindor table, shouting with the others. I stayed rooted on the entrance of the hall. The Slytherin beside me had a scowl on his face as he stared at the shouting Gryffindors. He had sleek black hair that fell above his silver-gray eyes.

He looked strangely familiar.

"Hello," I said before I could stop myself.

He frowned at me.

"Er.. Hi," he said uncertainly.

"So you got a game today then?" I said trying not to sound so awkward like I usually did.

"Based on the fight going on just now, I thought that fact would be obvious," he said.

"Right," I mumbled.

"Why are talking to me?" he said quickly.

I blinked.

"Am I not allowed to talk to you?" I asked.

"I'm a Slytherin," he said with raised eyebrows. "You're a Gryffindor. Gryffindors and Slytherins aren't exactly the best of friends."

I glanced at the ongoing fight.

"Obviously not," I said. "Sorry, I didn't know I couldn't talk to a Slytherin."

He gave me a weird look.

"I'm Cassie Hunter," I said quickly, putting my hand up.

Glancing at my outstretched hand, he gave me another weird look before shaking it with his own.

"Regulus Black," he said before dropping his hand hastily as though it was poisonous.

I didn't notice the owls flying in the Great Hall. I was too busy realizing that this boy was so familiar because he looked so much like Sirius. I also saw him catch the snitch last year in the first match of the season. He was part of the Slytherin team.

"Why aren't you part of the fight?" I asked him.

"I don't want to tire myself out because of shouting," he replied. "Why aren't you part of the fight? You are a Gryffindor after all. Picking up fights is supposed to be your specialty."

I didn't know whether to be insulted or not.

But I didn't get to answer him anyway. Florence had pulled me out of the Great Hall. I saw Regulus watch us curiously before shaking his head and walking to the Slytherin table. Florence ran and pulled me with her. I didn't even know where she was heading.

"Florence!" I said. "What're you doing?"

I saw her grinning like mad. Her eyes were filled with tears. She held a letter on her left hand. She was smiling and crying. Was she sad or not?

We reached a pair of gargoyles.

"Jelly Slugs!" Florence said and she sounded pretty excited.

The gargoyles jumped apart and a spiral staircase appeared. Florence stepped on it and pulled me in with her. The staircase moved upward until it halted in front of a wooden door.

Florence didn't even bother knocking. She immediately barged in.

I saw Professor Dumbledore chatting with a middle-aged red-haired woman who seemed to be crying.

"Mum!" Florence said happily and hugged the red-haired woman around the waist.

Professor Dumbledore stared at the pair, shocked. I looked at them with curiosity.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" she said, releasing her mother. "I only got the letter from the Ministry today! I thought you two were gone forever! Why are you here anyway? I came here to ask Dumbledore if I could see you two!"

Her mother seemed to cry even more at the sight of her daughter. I stood there awkwardly. Dumbledore stared at the two with eyes filled with sympathy. What was going on?

"Flo, dear," Mrs. Flanagan whispered to her daughter. Florence looked up with delight.

"Aren't you glad to see me alive, mum?" she said. "I was so sad when I heard you were gone! I almost killed myself!"

Mrs. Flanagan hugged Florence tightly, more tears running down her cheeks.

"Mum, why are you still crying?" Florence demanded as she struggled out of her mother's grip.

"F-Florence," Mrs. Flanagan sobbed. "You h-have to l-listen to me, dear. No m-matter what I s-say you have to p-promise me you w-wont put yourself i-into any d-danger."

Florence stared up at her mother, frowning.

"W-Wha- Yeah! Yes, of course!"

"D-Dear," Mrs. Flanagan continued. "Flo, dear, Hunter got your father."

Before I could even think about what I was doing, I turned, opened the door and ran down the staircase. I ran and ran and ran. I heard the cheering of the students outside. Each student was outside watching the game.

This was unfair. This couldn't happen to me. This was not what I wanted!

I couldn't stay in here knowing that my own father was out there killing people. But of all the people to kill, it just had to be my best friend's father. My best friend's bloody father! Is he trying to ruin my life even more?

There was no one by the lake. I walked towards it and kicked the water with a furious scream. My right shoe was completely soaked but I didn't care. I hardly even noticed. I pulled my wand out, pointing it at a tree. Screaming the spell, a ball of white light hit the trunk and a big smoking hole appeared in the middle.

I heard footsteps coming from the castle, I quickly his behind a tree, staring at whoever was going outside.

It was two boys, both Slytherins. One was curly-haired with a permanent smirk on his face. The other was taller and slim with intimidating black eyes.

They walked towards the lake. I silently followed them from behind the trees.

"This is the perfect time, Evan," said the taller of the two. "Everyone's outside watching Quidditch. I would like to hear your answer now."

"I'm in fifth year," Evan said. "I've got plenty of time to think about it."

"Unfortunately for you," the other said. "The Dark Lord wants his answer now."

My heart sped up. The Dark Lord. They were talking about him. I gripped my wand tighter in my hand.

"Why does he need it now?" Evan snapped.

"Because not only would it be useful to have a spy in Hogwarts, Hunter is having difficulty with his task because of the charms around the castle."

Hunter. Oh Merlin, they're talking about him. Sweat ran down my face and I hastily wiped them with my sweater.

"Hunter has difficulty with everything," Evan said with a sneer.

"Hunter is one of the most trusted servants of the Dark Lord," the other snapped.

"I don't see why he's trusted at all!" Evan said before spitting on the ground. "The man betrays his Master and marries a Muggle!"

"He's paid for his wrong actions," the other said coolly.

It was silent for a while. This was my chance. I could just curse them right now and bring them to the Headmaster.

"I'll do it," Evan said.

Shit.

"Excellent," the other said smirking triumphantly. "The Dark Lord will be pleased. Now, you've got fellow students to convince to join you."

"Snape," Evan said immediately.

I blanched with fear. Snape? He was the one bullied most by the Marauders. Ever since first year! Florence had told me. If he became a one of _them_, the Marauders wouldn't know what was coming to them.

"Also Black," the other suggested.

A cry escaped my lips. The two Slytherin turned to the direction where the tree I was hiding behind was.

Holy mother of shits!

I silently hyperventilated. Oh, Merlin! If only I had Florence's invisibility cloak!

"Who's there?" Evan said angrily.

"Now, now, Evan," the other said. "Don't be rude. Come out, whoever you are. You cannot run because we'll catch you."

I swallowed before gripping my wand tightly and facing the two Slytherins. I tried pull a brave face but I think I looked even more like a coward with it.

"Ah, it's the new kid," Evan said with a smirk.

"Gryffindor, are you?" the other boy asked with an amused smile.

"Yeah, that's right!" I said, finding my voice. "So that automatically means I'm better than you!"

No, no, that was not the right thing to say!

"Typical Gryffindor," Evan muttered.

"Right, so you two should like walk away now unless you want me to release my inner strength and stuff!"

What in fuck's name was I saying…

"You're pathetic!" the other said with a laugh.

"Your _mum_ is pathetic!" I said, pointing my finger at him. "Yeah, that's right. I just insulted your mum! What're you going to do about that, you little piece of acromantula shit?"

Okay, I was pathetic. I wasn't in a bloody comeback contest. These boys were capable of killing me!

Then I heard the crowd entering the castle. The game was done! Thank goodness! I WAS SAFE!

"_Stupefy_!"

And everything was black.

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><p><em>Well, Cassie surely did not expect <em>that_. More and more secrets will be revealed and Cassie's biggest fear is losing Florence. Will Florence find out about Cassie's father? Will James continue with the blackmail? What will happen now with Sirius knowing about Cassie and James living together?_

_"How would you know if we're related in any way? He might just be some other guy with the last name Hunter!" -Cassie Hunter, Live To Die, Chapter Six, A Very Interesting Christmas With Sirius_

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><p><strong>Please tell me what you think!<strong>

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	8. Bad Confrontation

**Bad Confrontation**

_Florence's father's life was taken by none other than Harrison Hunter. Cassie doesn't take the news too well and after being discovered by two Slytherins, she ends up unconscious in the Hospital Wing._

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><p>My head hurt. My arms hurt. My legs hurt. Even my fucking eyes hurt, dammit!<p>

Where was I?

I could see light through the lids of my eyes. I felt the bed I was lying on. Was I in the dormitory? No, definitely not. It was never this bright in there. There was barely even any light.

Groaning, I tried sitting up.

"Hey, she's waking up!"

Okay, someone was watching me. I squinted to see who it was. My vision was a bit blurry so I just saw a few figures standing around me. I saw a flash of red.

I blinked a few times to clear my vision. I realized I was in the Hospital Wing

"Flo?" I muttered, squinting at the redhead.

"Em… Who's Flo?" she said nervously.

Well, that was definitely not Florence. Her voice was less perky and calmer. I blinked a few more times until I completely saw her face. Her bight eyes were watching me with deep interest and worry. A crease formed in between her eyebrows. Her hair was a dark fiery shade of red and it reminded me so much of Florence.

Then I realized, I knew this girl. Her face ringed a bell in my head. Why did she look so familiar? The green eyes that resembled a cat's. The red hair that reminded me so much of Florence. Where did I see this girl before?

"My name is Lily Evans."

"_Shit_!" I exclaimed, sitting up straight and pointing my finger at her.

She frowned.

"Hah, she called you shit," the boy beside her laughed.

It was Sirius. He was seated nonchalantly on the stool, his hair just as perfect as ever and his eyes scanning me without concern.

"I-I didn't mean that," I said quietly. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Er, I guess it's all right," Lily said with a shaky laugh. "You just woke up after all. So, how are you feeling?"

"Like I my foot was tied to the back of a truck and I was dragged to the other side of the country."

"What's a truck?"

"Shut up, Black," Lily snapped before turning back to me with a smile. "Madam Pomfrey told us to wait for a while because she knew you would be waking up in a bit."

"You don't know me," I stated.

"Yes, I don't," she said with a small smile. "But Black gladly told me a little bit about you."

I glanced at him. He was now gazing outside the window, the same bored expression on his face. He was sweating a bit and he was still in his Gryffindor Beater uniform. I wonder…

"Black was the one who brought you here since I couldn't carry you myself," Lily explained as though reading my mind. "I was the first to see you and I called for help. He was the first boy I saw and you were really pale so I had no choice but to get help from him."

She sounded like she thoroughly regretted this.

"You're lucky I actually came, Evans," Sirius snapped.

Lily rolled her eyes.

At that same moment, the doors of the hospital wing burst open and James entered looking furious.

"I don't remember inviting you, Potter," Lily said coldly.

"Like you're the one hurt," he shot back.

"Hey, mate. What brings you here?" Sirius asked, his eyebrows raised.

James ignored him and turned to me. He, like Sirius, was still in his Quidditch uniform and gear. I heard a fluttering sound and my eyes darted a glance towards his enclosed right fist. I saw a pair of fluttering wings and a flash of gold.

"You have a Snitch in your hand," I stated.

"No shit," James said with a roll of his eyes.

He released the Snitch and it flew above the bed. It flew farther away from me so I decided to catch it before it went too far. Sirius watched me with interest, his eyebrows still raised. James was frowning at me.

What did I do?

I let go of the Snitch and it hovered above the bed again. James had caught it before it even moved.

"I heard you got hurt," James said casually after a very very awkward silence.

"Who did it, Hunter?" Sirius asked, leaning forward with his eyes narrowing.

I was getting scared. Why were they acting so… frightening?

"Hunter, who did it?" James said, repeating Sirius' question but with an angrier tone.

"Evan," I choked out.

"_Evans_!" Sirius boomed, pulling his wand out and pointing it at the alarmed redhead.

"Why would you do that?" James snapped, glaring at her.

Lily gave me a look of betrayal before glaring back at James. I realized my mistake.

"No, no!" I said pushing Sirius' wand away from Lily's direction. "Not Lily Evans! Evan! Another guy!"

"Who the fuck is that?"

"Evan Rosier," Sirius said in realization.

"That filthy Slytherin!"

"Since when did you care about who curses Cassie?" Lily asked James suspiciously. "You do that everyday!"

I was thinking the same thing, Lily Evans.

"The only people who can curse a Gryffindor is another Gryffindor, Evans," James said matter-of-factly.

"That is preposterous!" Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, why'd _you_ react so badly when you thought I cursed her?"

James had suddenly turned pale. Hm… Lily Evans was smart.

"It's true!" Sirius agreed, trying to steer away the conversation from James. "Whoever curses a Gryffindor who isn't in our house will get a bloody good kick in the arse by another Gryffindor. It's the loyalty, yeah?"

"Yeah, definitely the loyalty, mate."

"So you're saying that Evan Rosier will be at the end of one of your pranks then?" Lily said, raising her eyebrows.

"That pretty much sums it all up!" Sirius said cheerily. "Very good, Evans. You really are learning something from us after all."

Lily snorted disbelievingly.

"Bitch," I heard Sirius mumble.

"Anyway," Lily said, standing up. "It was _awfully_ nice chatting with you but I really must head back to the dormitory. Get well soon, Cassie."

I didn't know if James was putting up a fake act or he really didn't hear the sarcasm in Lily's voice.

"She is such a bitch, right?" Sirius told me with a snort.

James was still ranting on and on about how he and Lily would be getting together soon because she was finally warming up to him.

That poor boy.

"I actually think she's kind of sweet," I said fondly.

"_Sweet_?" Sirius said looking disgusted. "She's not fucking sweet! _That's what she wants you to think!_"

I rolled my eyes. "Did you win the match?" I asked.

He started muttering curses under his breath. James snapped out of his dream-like state and glared at everything he saw. Well, obviously, they didn't.

Why were they still here?

Well, that question seemed to enter James' head as well because he stood up and shot me a stony glare.

"Just so you know, I only came here to see if you were okay because dad would kill me if you weren't."

And he left together with Sirius who didn't even say goodbye.

Well, unless you counted him sticking up his middle finger at me a goodbye then yes, he did say goodbye. A very vulgar way of it….

* * *

><p>Today was the End-of-Term feast. Whoopie. I finished fourth year with only pranks twice (if I'm unlucky, thrice) a day and stalking hours with Florence. How did I manage to pass all my subjects? I have no bloody idea.<p>

So I was on the astronomy tower. Why was I not in the feast? Because I didn't feel like it. No matter how many times I was humiliated and hurt in this castle, I felt like I would miss it once I stepped foot on my so called home, the Potter Manor.

I thought about Florence. She left yesterday after she heard about her father. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I missed her. I really did.

I leaned over the edge. It was dark and a cloudless night so I could see all the twinkling stars above me. It was beautiful. Unlike everything about my life.

No family, barely any friends. I don't even succeed in anything. I'm not all that smart. The love of my life hates my guts. Nobody knows I exist.

Looking down at the edge, I thought about it.

I could do it. Just one more step and all life's worries would drift away.

What happens after, though? Maybe I could stay here on earth and haunt people forever. Yeah, that sounds nice.

My foot stepped on the edge.

Was I really a Gryffindor? If I was a true Gryffindor, I would face life's problems with courage and take risks. I should be brave.

Three.

But obviously, I wasn't.

Two.

My hands gripped the railing so hard that my fingers were starting to go numb.

SLAM!

I jumped in surprise and my foot slipped. My whole leg had fallen with it and the rest of my body would have followed if someone hadn't grabbed my arm and pulled me back on the tower.

"_Is there something wrong with you_?"

"Captain Obvious?" I blurted out.

"I'm not the Captain of Obvious," he said with a frown.

What was his real name again? I knew him though. He was the boy I was sharing a boat with. I haven't seen him all year which wasn't a surprise since he was three years below me and in Slytherin.

From our first encounter, I could already see the differences made by time. His dirty blonde hair was slightly longer and tousled. He was already as tall as me which was odd because I was fifteen. He was eleven! Maybe twelve…

"Right, sorry," I muttered.

"Were you seriously going to…"

He trailed off, staring at me with a weird look.

"What are you doing here?" I asked quickly, not knowing what else to say since he caught me in a very awkward place.

"I needed some time to think," he answered.

"Do you come here often?"

"Do you?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

I didn't answer. He sighed and sat down, making himself comfortable as though he was going to stay here for a while.

"So, committing suicide… Is it something you've planned already or did it just come to you when you were standing here?"

He sounded like a therapist.

"I wasn't going to commit suicide," I answered shakily, sitting down in front of him.

"That surely looked like you were going to," he said.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked quietly. "You don't even know me."

"You're Cassidy Hunter and a Gryffindor," he drawled, his hand raking his blonde hair.

I was shocked. He knew my name? But nobody ever remembers my name. No matter how many times Florence would tell me that everyone secretly knew me because I was nearly a hatstall, I knew I was a nobody all the same.

People know me as the-girl-who-the-Marauders-love-to-torture-as-much-as-Snape. No one ever calls me by my real name. That doesn't count Florence. The Marauders call me Hunter but that doesn't count either.

"How do you know that?" I said, frowning.

"Well, it's your name, innit?" he said with a roll of his eyes.

"But people don't know me."

"I do."

I blinked. Okay, this was getting weird. He's not supposed to know me. First of all, he's a first year. If I'm not popular in my own year, what'll make me think that first years know me? Second, he's a Slytherin. After my little encounter with one Regulus Black, I truly understood the house rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know your name," I said, trying not to sound rude.

"Call me Alex," he said with a shrug. "So anyway, I can help you, if you want."

"Help me with what?" I asked uncertainly.

"Well, if you really were contemplating suicide, then you must have difficulties in life. Say, is there anyone in your life that's causing these difficulties? Or maybe causing stress in your life which leads to certain problems?"

This was beyond weird. I'm not even joking. I was seated on the cool metal floor of the astronomy tower in front of a first year who looks and sounds older than he's supposed to be at his age.

"Why do you want to help me?"

"Just answer the question," he snapped.

I dont.

He sighed.

"Look, Cassidy-"

"Cassie," I immediately corrected him.

"Cassie," he repeated. "my mum's a Healer. When I grow up, I'll be one like her. Healers have patients like you. So, this will be great training for me."

"What d'you mean 'patients like me'?" I said quickly.

"Quite a few witches and wizards visit St. Mungo's for help because they're slightly suicidal."

"I'm not suicidal!" I raise my voice. "The thought just… occurred to me, I guess. I felt like if I just did it, then all life's problems would go away and never bother me again."

"Cassie, just tell me what's going on," Alex said, looking concerned. "I might be able to help you."

I hesitated.

"I wont tell anyone, I promise," he said like he just read my mind.

"How will I know that you don't tell anyone?"

"The Unbreakable Vow?"

"Are you crazy?" I hissed. "I'm not going to put your life into risk!"

"I'll do it!" Alex said, nodding. "Just to let you know that I have no intentions of telling anyone."

"No, Alex, this is crazy," I said, shaking my head furiously. "You're not doing it. But… I still cant tell you."

"Fine," he said with a sigh. "Tell me in the vaguest way possible. Don't tell me all the details, especially the ones you don't want to say."

"My dad left me," I finally give in. "James Potter and his friends wont stop it with the pranking. I have a really gigantic secret that I need to tell Florence but I'm afraid she'll leave me. She's my only friend. I cant lose her."

I felt the tears filling my eyes and immediately wipe them, not wanting to cry in front of someone I barely knew.

"I did hear a lot about James Potter's determination to prank you everyday," he said understandingly. "How do you feel about that?"

"Scared," I said, my voice quivering. "His pranks aren't exactly what I 'd like to call harmless."

"Do you ever get angry about it?"

"I get a bit angry at certain times…"

"Then what do you do? Do you confront him about it?"

"No," I answered quickly. "I cant…. I cant do that."

"And why not?"

"Because I don't want to upset him. I don't like upsetting people. "

"Are you okay with his pranks?"

"No!" I said, raising my voice.

"Then you have to tell him that."

"Why?"

"Because you cant just let him do that to you, especially since it bothers you!" he said, dropping his cool manner. "You have to learn how to stand up for yourself, Cassie."

"I do know how to stand up for myself!" I protested.

"Then show me," Alex said calmly. "James cant just prank you and expect you to deal with it."

He was right. He was right about me not knowing how to stand up to myself. He was right about James and how his pranks do affect me and I cant just sit here and do nothing about it.

I stand up, a new feeling inside me.

Confidence.

It felt good. That was something that I couldn't find in myself. I always doubted myself and I was scared of doing anything risky. Right now, I was confident. Now, I just needed to stand up for myself.

"Cassie, why are you standing?" Alex asked, frowning.

"I'm going to give James Potter a piece of my mind," I declared.

"W-Wha- Hey, where are you going?"

I had already bolted down the steps and ran back inside the castle. I could hear Alex's footsteps behind me. I had finally reached the Great Hall and Alex appeared beside me, panting.

"Cassie, you have to handle this with maturity and-"

"Fuck maturity," I snapped. "I'll break his nose."

Another feeling filled me up. Anger. I was very angry. I thought of all the time I walked inside my next class covered in feathers and glue. I remembered the time when I woke up to the smell of shit and when James didn't give me credit for finding him and saving the Gryffindors from forfeiting. I remembered the mayonnaise that he forced down my throat and embarrassed me in front of the whole school.

I realized that each prank he pulled on me, I got a tiny bit angry. The anger had been building up inside me until I finally cracked which was the last day of school. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed this to stop. I cant stay in Hogwarts for three more years with his cruel pranks.

I pushed the double doors open and I immediately regretted my decision and opted to run back to the astronomy tower and jump off.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to me as I appeared in the Great Hall. I saw Alex nervously hide behind the wall. I was tired of hiding. I needed to act.

Ignoring the stares and whispers, I walked my way to the Marauders who were laughing together, not even sparing me a glance.

They only noticed me when I stopped in front of James Potter. He slowly looked up, his smile fading and replaced with a sneer.

"Well, well, look who decided to join us," he said, eyebrows raised. "We were getting worried, Hunter." Then he added in a whisper, "How's your father? I thought you left the school and joined him."

Then I realized, me standing outside the Great Hall, I hadn't cracked fully yet. But that cold-hearted whisper had done the job.

"How dare you?" I hissed, pulling my wand out.

The whole hall had turned quiet. I saw Professor McGonagall stand up from the corner of my eye. I leaned down to James.

"You son of a bitch have got some nerve," I whispered lividly.

"Hey, don't blame me," James whispered furiously back. "It's not my fault you were treated like shit. You bloody deserved it too."

"_What did I do_?" I scream, startling a few students. "What did I do to you that made you hate me so much?"

"You showed up! That's what you did!" James shot back, standing up with his wand out.

"Potter! Hunter!" Professor McGonagall screeched, walking towards them.

We ignored her.

"Life was definitely much better when you were around!" James continued to shout. "The world would be a better place if you were never born!"

Before I could think about what I was doing, my fist hit his nose and he stumbled backwards, clutching it.

"Ms. Hunter!" I heard Professor McGonagall again.

But before she could even reach us, I turned around and walked briskly out of the Great Hall despite her furious calls. The tears had begun to fall down my cheeks.

I didn't feel good about punching him. Not good at all. In fact, I wished I didn't do it. It was uncalled for, I know.

"I NEED EVERYONE'S ATTENTION," James boomed.

I turned around quickly, only to see him standing on the Gryffindor table looking furious. He pointed his finger at me.

"This girl has a few secrets that all of you would like to know," he said, his voice echoing inside the silent Great Hall.

"No," I muttered, my eyes as wide as Galleons and I felt myself go stiff.

"I truly am surprised that only I know about this!" he said with a laugh. "Perhaps it's because she doesn't look like him or sound like him or maybe everyone's seen her as a helpless nobody to even think twice about this. You see-"

"_NO, STOP_!" I screamed.

Everyone heard the desperation in my voice. Everyone heard the panic. Everyone heard the pain. Yet nobody tells James to stop. They all stare at me with pity and curiosity.

"Harrison Hunter is her dad!" James finished.

I waited for the reactions but there was none. I waited for the accusations but there was none. They all stare at me with wide eyes filled with fear.

I let the tears fall freely. I didn't bother wiping them. I felt an entirely new feeling inside me. It was the first time I had felt it. I had never truly known how it felt. I got mad at people. But it only reached until there.

Until now.

All my good feelings for James had disappeared the second he finished that last sentence. But as they all left, a new one came.

Hate.

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><p><em>Hate is a strong word and apparently for Cassie, it's the first time she's actually felt to truly hate someone. Has she truly gotten over her pitiful crush?<em>

_"Hunter, you do know that James hated you since the day he first saw you, right?"- Sirius Black, Live To Die, Chapter Seven, Awkward, Awkward, Everything Awkward_

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><p><strong>Short chapter, I know. I promise to make the next chapter much longer.<strong>

**Please, tell me what you think. A HUGE THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED OR FOLLOWED/FAVORITE-D MY STORY!**

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	9. Summer At Maryfields

**Summer At Maryfields**

_Rule #6: Leave at your first chance._

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><p><strong>SIRIUS<strong>

Cassie Hunter was a mystery. But in one sentence, I started to understand her more. It explained her desire to fit in and her awkwardness when she talked to new people. It explained how I rarely saw her smile. It explained how shocked she looked when she was sorted into Gryffindor.

It's not easy to have one's dad to be part of the Death Eaters. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be for her right now that her dad is out there kidnapping and killing innocent people. One of his crimes was done together with my sadistic cousin, Bellatrix.

I watched Hunter run out of the Great Hall, sobbing. I thought I saw a boy follow her in the Entrance Hall but before I could take a better look, the giant doors closed.

James was still standing on the table, breathing deeply with a weird look in his eye and dried blood below his nose. The look in his eye wasn't the usual mischievous one. This was different. He looked almost…. guilty.

Professor McGonagall was standing not too far away from him. She was staring at the Great Hall's doors in shock. I frowned. Didn't she know?

Nobody moved. Nobody talked. Why did nobody react like that when Nott started here? His dad's a Death Eater as well.

But after I asked the question in my head, I immediately knew the answer. Nott was a Slytherin. Everyone already knew about his father. He even took pride in it. Hunter was a Gryffindor. She's never mentioned her father once. The way she reacted, it was obvious she never wanted her dad to be one of them.

Her father left her.

The words filled my head and they sounded familiar.

But still. The nerve of her. Nobody just slaps James like that. Lily Evans is not an exception to that rule. That's one of the reasons why I hate her so much.

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said sharply, snapping me out of my thoughts. "get down from there."

James' head slowly turned to her and stared at her for a few seconds before slowly stepping down.

"To my office, Potter," she snapped.

I watched the pair of them leave the hall and the chatters of the students had started again. I turned back to my food and started to eat.

"That wasn't necessary," Remus grumbled beside me.

"What's done is done," I said.

"He still shouldn't have said that," he snapped.

Peter looked up, fear etched across his face.

"Well, he just did," I shot back.

Remus dropped his fork on his plate with a clatter.

"Don't you know how that girl's feeling right now? How can you possibly not understand?" he said, his voice raising.

"I do understand, thanks," I snapped. "I'm not happy with what James said, all right? It was cruel and uncalled for but you're forgetting the fact that Cassie Hunter punched James in front of everyone here!"

"You've been pranking her everyday," Remus said, glaring at me.

"_We've_ been pranking her," I corrected him, glaring back. "You've been helping us too, Remus. But what d'you mean by that? Are you saying James deserved what he got?"

"Frankly, I do!"

"We deserve that punch just as much as James does, Remus!" I exclaimed. "I admit, we haven't been so nice to her but she cant just go around punching anyone who annoys her!"

"Don't be a hypocrite, Sirius," Remus said nastily.

"Hey, come on, guys. Don't fight," Peter said shakily. "James is already in trouble and it's the last day of school. We can't turn on each other before summer."

Remus and I started to eat again, in silence. We bickered a lot but that conversation felt more heated. We rarely ever did fight. Almost as rare as my fights with James.

James had returned and stalked towards us, an irritated look on his face. He sat beside Peter and in front of me. Without a word, he started eating as well.

It was silent and the silence was not comfortable at all. Remus and I wouldn't look at each other. James was muttering curses under his breath, glaring at his plate. Peter was looking from me to Remus to James, a nervous look on his round face.

"I got detention for a week, first week of fifth year," James told us, breaking the silence.

"Moony here apparently thinks you deserve what you got," I drawled.

James shrugged. "I s'pose."

I stared at him, open-mouthed.

"What?" I said, surprised. "Didn't you just see what she did to you, mate? She punched your fucking nose, bleedin' Christ!"

"I'm bloody mad about it too," James snapped. "But I cant get anymore detentions so I'll leave her alone for the mean time."

As much as I wanted to wring her pretty little neck, James was right. We couldn't afford anymore detentions after school. We still needed to perfect the process of become Animagi and James was most probably captain of the team next year. Thank Merlin there were no practices during the first week of classes.

* * *

><p>"Four down, three to go," I muttered, staring up at the huge, breathtaking castle I had always called home. I felt James clap me on the back as he looked up at the castle like me.<p>

"Summer'll pass by faster than you think, mate," he said quietly.

"It always does," I said with a smile.

"Anyway, you can floo to my room anytime."

I grimace. "I think I'll be a bit more cautious with my visits nowadays, mate."

"Hey, you didn't know Hunter lived with me last Christmas," James muttered darkly at the mention of her. "How was I supposed to react?"

"Hey, come on guys!" Peter called from inside the train.

James and I turned to lift our heavy trunks onto the train and followed Peter to our compartment. Remus was staring blankly at the castle with a longing look on his face. He should miss the castle almost as much as I do.

Talking was something we usually did during the rides going to Hogwarts and going back home. Another thing we did was play exploding snap or wizard's chess. Not surprisingly, we did not of those things.

We awkwardly stared at anything besides each other. The fight last night had caused this. I was less angry at Remus and he probably wasn't very angry at me either or he would have snapped at me already.

But what's causing the awkward situation is the fact that we were the most stubborn people in our group and none of us would want to apologize first.

The silence was broken by a firm knock on the glass compartment sliding door. We all jumped and turned to see who it was. I didn't know the boy. He was tall but not quite as tall as me or James. He had a tuft of dirty blonde hair that could give James' messy hair a run for it's money. His blue eyes eyes us all nervously.

When nobody would stand up to open the door, I decided to do it because the boy didn't look like he was going to leave soon. I slid the door open. I was at least a head taller than him.

"Yeah, what d'you want?" I asked grumpily.

"You should give Cassie Hunter a break," he said swiftly.

"So you're hear to talk about Hunter?" I snapped, giving him a cold glare. "Sorry, but we're not exactly in the best fucking mood. You mentioning that bitch will just make it worse."

"I'm just saying you guys should lay off her a bit," he shot back. "She's dealing with a lot and you guys are acting like complete jerks."

I raised my eyebrows at the boy. He was tall, yes, but the sound of his voice made him seem younger than I thought. I glance behind me only to see James, Remus and Peter watching the boy with interest.

"And who are you, then?" James asked coldly. "I didn't know she had any other friends besides that redhead. You her boyfriend or something?" His eyes narrowed.

The boy flushed. "'Course not!" he nearly shouted. "I just met her! Not to mention the fact that she's older than me!"

He was younger than fourteen? Fifteen, if Hunter's already had her birthday.

"If you just met her, why feel the need to defend her then?" James said with raised eyebrows, his cold tone still intact.

"Because I just do," he said, stomping his foot.

He sounded like a child.

"Kid, how old are you?" James asked curiously.

"Don't call me kid," the boy snapped. "I'm not a kid."

"You're sure as hell acting like a fucking kid," I retorted.

"I'm twelve," he said sharply. "Not eight."

James suddenly laughed.

"Holy shit, you're only twelve!" he said, trying to calm his laughter. "Mate, the girl you're after is fourteen. Fifteen, maybe."

"Who said I was after her?" the boy said, cheeks flushed.

"It's obvious," James answered.

"Why do you look so familiar?" Remus asked, frowning at the twelve year old.

"He's the boy from Hogsmeade, Moony!" Peter said, a look of realization crossing his face.

"Oh, right."

"Boy from Hogsmeade?" James asked immediately. "What boy from Hogsmeade?"

"We saw him in Hogsmeade once," Remus explained, clearly not noticing the boy growing redder and redder. "He was following-"

"Okay, nice story, Lupin," the boy said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Now, back to the reason why I'm actually standing in your presence no matter how much it infuriates and disgusts me-"

"If you don't shut the fuck up, I'll stick my fist up your-"

"All right, Sirius, just hear the boy out," Remus drawled.

I narrowed my eyes at the twelve year old. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Alex Greengrass," he answered impatiently.

A pair of wands were suddenly pointed at his throat. James and I glared at the confused boy. I could hear James growling.

"Why are you here, you filthy Slytherin?" James snapped.

"I'm here to tell you to lay off Cassie Hunter!" Greengrass said, stomping his right foot. "Hell, I said it twice already. Would you like me to say it a third time?"

James' eyes narrowed dangerously at him.

"You don't talk to me like that, dumb fuck."

"My family's just as high up as yours. I can talk to you any way I want," Greengrass hissed to James.

Damn, this boy had guts. I wondered if he knew that getting James angry was the worse thing anyone could do in this situation.

"Why do you want us to lay off her?" I asked before James could rage and throw him off the train.

"Because she needs a break."

"And how would you know that?" James snapped. "You two friends? As far as I know, she's got no friends."

"Mostly because of you."

* * *

><p>Summer in Grimmauld Place is more boring than watching a Flobberworm give birth. The moment I heard my parents leave the house for work, knowing they wont come back until late at night, I walked to the fireplace to floo to James' house.<p>

The moment I stepped on the James' room, I realized something was up. It was clean. I mean, I knew the Potters had tons of house elves but James never let them in his room. I don't why but it was always like that. Seeing it clean was just…. out of the ordinary.

Then I did a second look. There were two beds. Well, one proper one and a mattress on the floor. Was this for me? How the hell did James know I was coming here? And anyway, I don't usually sleep here because of my parents. Maybe Moony was visiting. Maybe even Peter.

But wouldn't Moony write me that in his letters? I've been getting letters from him the past week and he's never mentioned sleeping over James' house. Peter's never mentioned it in his letters either.

I also wondered why James wasn't in his room. He usually locked himself in here and talked to me or if I wasn't here, he'd do some other stuff. There were a lot of things to do in the Potter Manor but James was the kind of boy who liked to stay inside his room at all times.

I took a peek outside his room, opening the door slightly. The house was quiet. I couldn't here footsteps nor voices. I stared at the door in front of me. I knew it was Hunter's room.

Without thinking, I left James room, closing the door with snap, and stood in front of Hunter's.

What the fuck? What am I going to do, knock?

Guess what? That's exactly what I did.

Ah, shit, what the fuck am I doing? Why did I want to knock of her door anyway? It's not like I'll be able to say anything to her. Maybe she'll know what's up with James' room.

Yeah, she'll probably know what's up since she lives here and all. The thought alone disturbs me. She actually lives here. With James.

But problem was, nobody answered. I knocked again. Still, the door was closed. I knocked and knocked until my patience ran out and I barged in.

I know what you're going to say. _Sirius, you should have learned your lesson last year when you accidentally saw her in only a towel! Sirius, if she doesn't want you to come in then don't!_

Well, I'm the the most patient person in the world so if you don't want me to come in then fucking tell me, dammit! But the first thought that filled my head when I opened the door was 'empty'. There was no one in the room. And there was nothing. Only the door to the bathroom and closet filled with clothes. No bed, no table, no nothing.

I left the room grumpily. Where the fuck was everyone?

That was when I decided to walk down the stairs. My footsteps echoed inside the house until I finally reached the bottom floor and the living room. I entered the dining room but there were no plates set on the table. It was odd because it was twelve in the afternoon.

Then I heard a crack. I immediately flattened myself on the wall, peaking outside the windows on the dining room double doors. It was them. Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, James and Hunter. Mr. and Mrs. Potter looked livid. James and Hunter were staring at the floor, ashamed.

What was going on?

"Just one lunch," Mrs. Potter said sounding like she was about to cry. "James, it was just one lunch! I tell you to behave and what do you do?"

"Mum, I already said I'm-"

"I don't want to hear it! Why cant you two just get along?"

James grimaced. "She started-"

"I don't care who started it!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed. "It's nearly the end of the month and you two don't even _try_!"

"We try, mum!" James snapped. "It's not my fault she doesn't want anything to do with me!"

"Oh, it's most definitely your fault, James Potter," Hunter hissed, practically spitting out his name.

"All right, all right, that is _enough_!" Mrs. Potter said, raising her voice so the two bickering fifteen year olds shut up. "I've had enough of it. I've already fixed the room this morning and I gave you two one more chance but you blew it!"

Fixed the room? Did she mean James' room?

"Mum, what're you talking-"

"You two are going to sleep in the same room for weeks, months, years, _I don't care_! Just until I am satisfied and I know that you two are finally getting along! In the mean time, try to get used to each others' presence and get to know each other instead of trying to wring each others' necks!"

And with that, Mrs. Potter turned to the stairs and stomped her way up. Mr. Potter followed silently behind her. James and Hunter looked flabbergasted. Before they could see me, I ran to the back of the house and up the spiral staircase until I reached the fourth floor. I slipped in James' room and used the fireplace to get home.

* * *

><p><strong>JAMES<strong>

This is so fucking unfair. No fucking way am I going to share a fucking room with fucking Cassie Hunter. FUCK.

"What, you think I asked for this?" Hunter snapped as we walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.

Oops. I said that out loud didn't I?

"She's going to change her mind," I mumbled, running my hand through my hair. "She has to change her mind."

"Oh, she looked pretty serious to me!" Hunter laughed dryly..

"This is all your fucking fault, you know that?" I snapped.

"_My fault_?" she exclaimed. "It's not my bloody fault, jerk! You poured the fucking gravy on me!"

I gave her a clod glare before entering my room and slamming the door behind me. I walked to my shoe closet, taking mine off and placing it on the shelf. I walked back to my bedroom and lay down on the nice, cosy and fixed bed.

Nice, cosy and fixed bed.

Fixed bed.

Fixed.

HOLY SHIT!

I sit up, eyes flashing. The whole fucking room was clean goddammit! My table was organized. My clothes were neatly folded in the cabinet, assorted by color. The floor was spotless and stain-free. I yell out a frustrated scream and swing my legs off my bed only to feel something fluffy below it.

Looking down, I tried to calm myself. There was a big fluffy mattress right beside my own bed. DAMMIT, MOM!

Then I heard a scream from the other room. Without thinking, I grabbed my wand from my bedside table and ran to Hunter's room.

Hunter looked like she was about to cry as she stared at her nearly empty room. The only thing left was a cabinet filled with her own assorted clothes.

"I see you've seen your rooms," a voice came from the hallway.

I swiftly turned around only to see my mother, arms crossed with a stony look on her face.

"Cassie, you'll be sleeping in James' room," she said stiffly. "It's already been fixed. You two will talk it out. I don't care how long it takes. If I hear you two arguing in that room, I swear to Merlin, I will ground you both."

And with that, she walked down the staircase, her steps echoing in the nearly silent house.

"I need some fresh air," Hunter muttered, pushing past me.

She ran to the other side of the hallway where the spiral staircase was and walked silently down. I walked back in my room, cursing to myself.

This was going to be a long summer.

* * *

><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

I wonder if I could still run back to the Ministry and demand for a new family. Don't get me wrong. I love Mr. and Mrs. Potter but unfortunately for them, I hate James. I hate him and the stupid smirk that's always on his face. I hate him and the way he walks like he owns the whole fucking world. I hate him and that annoying habit of him messing up his bloody hair even more than it already is!

I needed to get out of the house. If I was going to share a room with James Potter, then I should be able to leave the house as much as possible to escape his stupid presence.

I've never walked around the neighborhood before. The Potter Manor was the biggest house here (And there are pretty big houses in this place since the village consisted of rich families). It was built on the end of the longest street with no houses surrounding it. The next house was a pretty white one that I could barely see from the balcony.

I walked around the village, admiring the nice big houses. Turning to another street, I saw the village's park. I walked towards the swing set and sat down on one of the swings. I swung lazily.

Living in the Potter Manor, I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world. Now, I just want to go back home. I want to go back to my mother. To my family. I want to go back to my father before he was a sadistic killer.

Mrs. Potter had dragged James and me to her colleague's house for lunch. James and I had started bickering while Mrs. Potter was chatting with her friend. I started to rage when James poured the gravy from the gravy bowl on me. We ended up wrestling on the floor. Mrs. Potter apologized repeatedly and cleaned James and me with a wave of her wand.

I felt guilty. I shouldn't have let James get to me. I should have kept my cool and ignored him. Instead, I pounced on him from the other side of the table, leaving quite a mess on the floor.

I was too wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't notice someone sit on the swing beside mine. I had only noticed the boy when he spoke up.

"I haven't seen you around here."

My head jerked upwards and turned quickly to him. His hazel eyes watched me with curiosity. Fuck, he had the same eye color as James. Maybe his was a bit lighter in shade (if that even makes sense) and his eyes were bigger. The curiosity in them made me realize how his eyes looked nothing like James'.

His brown hair was wavy as it feel above his eyes. He didn't look bad actually. He also looked a bit older than me. There was something about his accent. He sounded almost… American.

"I'm new here," I replied quietly, staring at my shoes.

"You're new?" he asked curiously. "There were no houses for sale."

Yeah, he definitely sounded American.

"I moved in with one of the families here," I said.

"Oh, I know almost everyone in this place," he informed me. "What family?"

"The Potters."

He grimaced.

"What was that?" I snapped, suddenly going defensive.

"Well," he started slowly.

"Don't you '_well_' me! What's so wrong about them?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Without thinking, I slapped his hand away. Fuck, why did I just do that? He gave me a weird look.

"Don't do that," I muttered.

"Why?"

"Because it reminds me of someone."

"Who?"

"I'm sorry, but we're not playing twenty bloody questions so I suggest you shut your mouth before I shut it for you!"

He chuckled. He fucking chuckled! What was that? Did he find me funny? I just threatened him for God's sake!

"You've been hanging around James Potter too much."

The comment startled me. My head whipped around to his face and my butt slipped off the swing and I fell on the ground. The boy laughed and gave me his hand to help me up. I ignored it and stood up myself.

"How the hell do you know him?" I snapped.

"James Potter?" he said. "Everyone knows him."

"Yeah, maybe in school everyone does but-"

"Wait, you go to his school?" he interrupted.

"Yes, I bloody go to his school," I said sounding clearly annoyed.

"So, you go to a boarding school then?"

I was shocked. How much did this guy know about James?

"The Potters are the richest guys here," he explained. "Everyone knows them. James is popular, yeah, but nobody really likes him."

"Why not?"

"Because he's a douche bag."

I stared at him, open-mouthed. I never expected James to be hated in this place! In Hogwarts, he was treated like a king!

"Why are you so surprised?" the boy asked. "You live with him. You should know how much of an asshole he is."

"He's just… Well, he's pretty well liked in our school," I said, choosing my words carefully.

"Is he?" he replied, raising his eyebrows.

I nodded. He looked thoughtful for a while then his head snapped up and his hazel eyes met my green ones.

"I haven't introduced myself, have I?" he said. "I'm Spencer. My house is just a few blocks away. I like going here to clear my mind."

"I'm Cassie," I said simply.

"You James' long lost sister or something?" he asked jokingly.

"I guess you could say I'm his adopted sister but we're not related in any way."

"Mr. and Mrs. P adopted you?"

"Last year. James and I don't usually see eye to eye."

"Doesn't like you?"

I shook my head. "Never will. And here we go again with the bloody questions. I'm only out here because of him. Bloody git's getting on my nerves."

"You got a last name?"

Scowling, I answered, "Hunter."

"Mine's Abrams."

"I didn't ask."

I turn to leave but he started talking again.

"Well, James Potter did get on your nerves today then, huh? No wonder you're so grouchy. How old are you?"

"I'll soon be a hundred if you make me stay here any longer."

"Come on, Cassie, just answer the question!"

"I'm fifteen," I growled.

"I'm seventeen," he said, ignoring my tone. "You and James are the same age."

"I'm aware of the fact, thanks," I said dryly.

"A lot of girls like him," Spencer continued sounding thoughtful. "I know I said no one likes him much but that's usually just the guys. Girls think he's hot."

"He doesn't look bad," I admitted, glaring at him.

"Hunter!"

I immediately turned around at the call of my name. I saw James running towards me and he when he stopped, he was out of breath.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" he snapped, glaring at me.

"I said I wanted fresh air," I drawled.

"Yeah, I thought you were going to the fucking garden or something!" he exclaimed. "Not here! Come on, let's get home."

"Hey, man, chill."

James finally took notice of Spencer who was still seated on the swing with a calm expression.

"What d'you want?" James asked rudely.

"I'm her friend."

"I just met you." I said, frowning.

"Well, consider me your friend," Spencer said with a shrug.

"She said she just fucking met you," James snapped. "Come on, Hunter, Mum's gone mad."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have told her I was going out," I said, flushing.

"No worries," James grunted. "She's not angry."

He dug his palms into the pockets of his jeans and walked away. I turned to follow him but Spencer grabbed my arm.

"Can I see you again?" he asked.

I blinked. James had stopped walking.

"I am very busy, Spencer," I said in a very business-like manner. What the fuck am I doing?

"I just want to get to know you, you know?" Spencer said with a lopsided grin that looked extremely familiar.

I cleared my throat awkwardly before saying, "Er, maybe next time."

And I jogged towards James who still standing, stiff as rock. He saw me approaching and nodded his head, walking towards our street again. I walked beside him and glanced at Spencer behind me. He was still sitting on the swing. He caught my eye and waved happily. I gave him a small smile back.

Turning back to the road in front of me, I could see James' eyes flashing out of the corner of my eye. What's his problem?

* * *

><p><em>Cassie meets a boy in the village who obviously irritates James. Could James Potter finally be warming up to his new "sister"? Or maybe he and Spencer Abrams go way back.<em>

_"They're the kings of Hogwarts, that's what." -Florence Flanagan, Live To Die, Chapter Two, A Difficult Favor_

* * *

><p><strong>Not my best, I know. It's sorta like a filler. Tell me what you think anyway. I promise to make it up to you guys in the next chapter.<strong>

**A huge thank you to those who made this story a favorite or alert and especially to those who reviewed!**


	10. A Secret History

**A Secret History**

_Spencer Abrams? The boy's got secrets. But what does that have to do with one James Potter?_

* * *

><p>Sirius often visited. James came clean about me sleeping in his room because he didn't think he'd be able to hide it anyway. Most of the time, they'd kick me out of the room because they needed their 'guy time'. I usually ended up walking around the village.<p>

That's exactly what happened today.

"Get out," James ordered as soon as Sirius appeared in the fireplace.

I shrugged and left the room anyway, not wanting to get into another argument with him.

I didn't mind leaving them. I've avoided James as much as possible ever since the gravy incident.

I passed by Mrs. Potter in the kitchen on my way to the front door.

"I'll be going out. Is that all right?" I asked before taking a spoonful of pumpkin soup from the pot.

"Cassie!" Mrs. Potter scolded playfully as she slapped my hand away from the spoon with a smile of her face. "That's for dinner! Just be back by eight, all right, love?"

"Yeah, thanks, Mrs. Potter," I said, grinning. "The soup tastes fantastic, by the way!"

I left the house and walked towards the gates which opened automatically as I came closer. I walked through the streets silently. When I passed by different houses, I saw a few young children playing outside with a plastic ball or running around, chasing each other. I watched them with a smile on my face as I kept walking.

I finally reached the park. I went here often these days. Summer is as boring as it can be in the Potter Manor with only James for company. He's not even always home. He goes to Remus' house or even Peter's from time to time. Remus and Peter visited at least twice and I couldn't even say hello because I wasn't supposed to be seen.

_"Screw out of the house till lunch then you can do whatever the fuck you girls do in the bloody afternoon!"_

I wanted to say no but the stupid git was serious. I spent my whole morning on the swing with no one to talk to.

Now, here I was, sitting on the swing again. I thought about Florence, wondering how she was doing. Was she coping? Will she be able to come back for fifth year? Hopefully. I would be spending each day alone if she wouldn't.

Sighing, I swing by myself slowly, gazing at the beautiful houses surrounding the park. Quite a lot of wealthy families did live here if I would judge them by their houses.

On the street to my right, I saw a young girl in front of an ordinary two-story house. She was picking the flowers on her front garden. It was like she sensed me watching her. She lifted her head up and her pretty brown eyes met my dark green ones. She gave me a small smile and I smiled hesitantly back.

The girl looked back at her house as though checking if there was anyone watching then she turned back to me and ran past the road. She reached me in a few seconds, attempting to fix her dark blonde hair.

"My name is Vivian," she said in a cute high voice. "I live over there! I see you here a lot but I only talked to you today!"

I chuckled. "I'm Cassie," I said. "I like to go here. It's very nice and peaceful."

"Do you want to see the pretty flowers?" she asked with wide eyes and the sweetness in her voice just made me say yes.

She grabbed my arm and led me back to her front garden. She showed me the different flowers and I picked a beautiful red flower and tucked it behind her ear making her look even more adorable.

"How old are you, Vivian?" I asked as sweetly as possible.

"I'm seven," she replied.

Hmm… She actually looked and sounded younger than seven.

"I'm fifteen," I told her.

"You're old!" she laughed.

"I'm not that old!" I said, laughing with her.

"Where do you live?" Vivian asked, still giggling.

"I live a few streets away," I said. "Do you know the Potter Manor?"

Her eyes grew wide. "You live in there?" she gasped. "I saw that house before! It's so big and pretty!"

"I can bring you in there once, if you like?" I said, not thinking about what I was saying.

Fuck. What was I saying? Christ, will Mr. and Mrs. Potter even allow me to bring a seven year old girl inside their home? She cant do any harm anyway… She's seven for God's sake!

"Really?" she said, her voice filled with excitement. "I've never seen the inside before!"

"I'll have to ask Mr. and Mrs. Potter first though," I admitted shyly.

"Why do you call them Mr. and Mrs. Potter?" Vivian asked curiously. "Aren't they your mum and dad?"

"I'm adopted, you see?" I explained. "They're not my real mum and dad but they treat me like a daughter nonetheless."

"That's nice!" she piped up. "So you live with the boy with the messy hair?"

I blinked. She knew James too? Bloody hell, everyone knew James in this place.

"Yes, I live with him," I said.

"He was nice to me too!" Vivian replied. "I never saw him since though! You're nice too! I like you!"

I smile at her.

"Viv!" someone called from inside the house. "Hey, Viv! Where'd you go this time?"

The voice and the different accent sounded oddly familiar.

"I'm outside, Spencer!" Vivian shouted back.

Spencer? Did she mean the Spencer I met weeks ago? That Spencer? Shit!

But before I could make my escape, his tall figure appeared from inside the house. He looked just like he was the first time I saw him. His brown hair falling just above his wide hazel eyes. Was he Vivian's brother? But they looked so different from each other! Also, Vivian had the British accent! He sounded American.

"Viv, you know your dad doesn't like you playing outside alone," Spencer said sternly, not noticing me yet.

Your dad? Hm...

"I know, Spence, but I wanted to get flowers!" Vivian said happily. "I also met her!"

And that's when Spencer noticed me. His eyes widened in shock and blinked repeatedly as though not believing what he was seeing.

"Cassie Hunter?" he said with a shaky laugh.

"Hullo," I replied quietly.

"Do you know her?" Vivian demanded.

"Yeah, I met her a week ago, I think," Spencer answered, raking his brown hair much to my annoyance.

"Spence? Did you find her?"

A middle-aged brunette appeared with an apron tied around her waist and a sweet smile on her face. She looked a lot like Spencer and sounded American too.

"Vivian, who's your friend?" the woman asked kindly.

"Mummy, this is Cassie!" Vivian piped. "She lives in the pretty Manor! She was picking flowers with me!"

I smile shyly at the woman and extended my hand.

"I'm Cassie Hunter," I introduced myself. "I moved a year ago with the Potters."

"I'm Vivian's stepmother," she said, taking my hand in hers and shaking it lightly. "I'm also Spencer's mother. Have you met my son?"

"Yeah, we've met," Spencer said with a nod.

"Can Cassie stay for supper, mummy?" Vivian pleaded, twirling a flower in her fingers.

"Oh, I cant possibly intrude, Mrs. Abrams," I said immediately.

She looked shocked for a while before looking from me to Spencer who was staring at the floor. She must have been wondering how I knew her last name.

"It's no trouble, sweetheart," Mrs. Abrams said sweetly.

"Please, Cassie!" Vivian wailed.

I couldn't resist the adorable eyes of a seven year old.

I've always had a soft spot for little children since I had cousins who were younger than ten years old. Vivian reminded me of Geraldine. She might be a little younger but the blonde hair did enough for her to look like my dead eight year old cousin.

Mrs. Abrams led me inside her home and I thanked her repeatedly. Vivian was practically jumping with joy as she followed us inside. Mrs. Abrams must have married a British man which would explain why Vivian's British. If I was correct, Vivian would be Spencer's stepsister.

"Spence, show Cassie the table," Mrs. Abrams ordered. "I'll bring the food out in a few minutes."

"I wanna help mummy!" Vivian said happily and followed Mrs. Abrams to the kitchen.

"Room's this way," Spencer grunted.

I followed him out of the homey living room and into the dining area. The wooden table was dark and polished. Nothing too fancy. A few stationary pictures hung around the room. It was weird, seeing the pictures not moving. I was used to seeing random strangers waving hello from their photos to me in the Potter Manor.

Fuck. I almost forgot they were Muggles! I immediately looked down at myself to see if I wore anything magical or brought anything out of the ordinary. I was wearing Muggle clothes so that was good. My wand was inside my jacket and nowhere to be seen. I released the breath I was holding and turned my attention back to Spencer who sat in one of the wooden chairs.

He patted the seat beside him. I sat down and the awkward silence continued. What do you say to someone you just met when you're inside their house, about to eat dinner?

"Teddy!" Mrs. Abrams called. "Dinner's ready!"

"You have a brother?" I whispered to Spencer.

"Oh, no, not a brother," Spencer said with a chuckle.

I heard someone coming down from the stairs and a stunning teen girl appeared. Her long curly brown hair was tied up in a ponytail. Her big eyes matched Spencer's. She wore short jean shorts, a blood red tank top under a black cardigan and heels. A startled expression appeared on her face when she saw me. Then she smirked.

"Spencer, who's you new girlfriend?" she asked, sitting down on the chair in front of him. The American accent made me realize she must be Spencer's full sister.

"I'm not his girlfriend," I immediately said.

"Yeah, she isn't," Spencer agreed. "This is Cassie Hunter. Vivian wanted her to eat with us."

Teddy raised her eyebrows at me. "I haven't seen you around."

"I just moved in," I told her. "I moved in with the Potters."

Her eyes widened. "The Potters?" she gushed. "Shit! You know James Potter then?"

I nodded slowly.

"Oh my God!" she squealed. "You live with him? Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!"

"Yeah, I live with him," I said quietly, not really liking how this girl's obviously one of James Potter's fangirls. I've only just met her and I already want to barf. But of course, I shouldn't be so mean and judge her this quickly. There's got to be more to her anyway.

"It's no big deal," Spencer snapped at her.

"_No big deal_?" Teddy screeched. "Spence, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Spencer rolled his eyes at his sister. Teddy sent him a glare before turning her attention to me.

"Are you related to him?" she asked with obvious interest. "You don't look like him though…"

"I'm not related to him," I told her. "Mr. and Mrs. Potter… er… adopted me last year."

"Oh, I see," Teddy said, wide-eyed. "Do you go to his school?"

"Yes."

"Oh my God!" she squealed again. "That's so awesome! Do you hang out with him everyday? How is it like? Is he as charming as I think he is?"

Spencer snorted.

"Fuck you, Spencer," Teddy said nastily. "You're just jealous."

"Of him?" he laughed. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Teddy turned to me with an evil grin on her beautiful face.

"Spencer's been jealous of James Potter since, like, forever."

"That's not true," Spencer hissed.

Mrs. Abrams entered the dining room with a bowl of mashed potatoes and a plate of roasted turkey. It was placed in the middle of the table and Vivian appeared with a pitcher of lemonade. After placing it on the table with the food, she sat on the chair beside Teddy. Mrs. Abrams sat on one of the chairs on the end.

"So, Cassie," Mrs. Abrams started a conversation as she passed Vivian the bowl of mashed potatoes. "Where do you go to school?"

Teddy seemed to be listening intently. I shouldn't have said that I went to school with James.

"Well, it's a boarding school," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully. "It's in Scotland."

"Scotland?" Mrs. Abrams repeated. "That's pretty far."

"Yes, it is," I agreed before putting a piece of my turkey in my mouth.

"I heard you live with the Potters," she said, glancing at Spencer.

"Just moved in last year," I replied.

"Rosie! Kids! I'm home!"

My head snapped to the living room only to see a blonde middle-aged man. Mrs. Abrams stood up and kissed him on the cheek.

"We're already eating, Ben," Mrs. Abrams said, sitting back down.

Her husband sat on the last chair at the other end of the table. The moment he sat down, he spotted me.

"And who are you?" he asked kindly and curiously at the same time.

"This is Cassie Hunter, Ben," Spencer said, answering for me.

"Ah, of course! Charming lad like yourself, I knew you already had a girlfriend!"

Spencer scowled. "She's not my girlfriend," he said through gritted teeth. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"

I knew I was blushing but I tried hiding my face by wiping my mouth with the table napkin.

"I'm Ben Thomson," the man introduced himself to me. "You can call me Ben. I'm your boyfriend's stepfather."

"Dude, she's not my freaking girlfriend!" Spencer snapped.

"Spencer!" Mrs. Abrams scolded him. "You don't talk to your dad that way!"

"He's not my dad."

An awkward silence followed after Spencer grumbled those words. Teddy was staring at him, open-mouthed. Vivian was blinking back tears. Mrs. Abrams was glaring at Spencer, hurt filling her eyes. Ben was looking down, ashamed.

"Yep, I'm done," Teddy said, breaking the silence and dropping her utensils on her plate. "I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Ben excused himself, his plate and utensils untouched. Vivian followed him out of the room shortly afterwards.

I swear to Merlin, I was never in a more awkward position than this moment. Spencer was glaring down at his plate and I awkwardly shifted in my seat.

"Walk Cassie home, Spencer. It's pretty late," Mrs. Abrams said, forcing a smile as she stood up then she turned to me. "You're welcome to our home anytime, sweetheart."

And with that, she left. I was alone with a seventeen year old who obviously had issues with his stepfather. He lifted his hand and raked his brown hair with a sigh. He closed his pretty hazel eyes, shaking his head.

"He's Vivian's dad, isn't he?" I asked, trying to make a conversation.

He opened his eyes, eyeing me warily.

"Yeah, he's Viv's dad," he said, nodding.

"You obviously have issues with him," I stated.

He chuckled. "It's a long story."

I checked my watch and realized that it was already eight in the evening. SHIT. I stood up abruptly, panic filling me.

"Whoa, Cassie, what's up?" Spencer asked, looking at me with concern.

"I have to get home! I didn't realize it was already so late!" I gasped.

"Right, I'll walk you there," he muttered, standing up and leading me to the front door.

We walked pass the front garden and on the sidewalk. Spencer' footsteps were quiet and controlled. I was as loud as a bear inside a forest. Spencer was leaning back, his hands stuffed inside his jean pockets. His head was leaning backwards as his eyes scanned the starry sky.

"Is Cassie your real name?" he suddenly asked.

"No," I said, looking at him weirdly, wondering why he was asking me this. "It's Cassidy."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, I don't. Why?"

"I'm just asking."

"Why are you asking me?" I asked with a tiny chuckle.

"Because I want to get to know you."

We turned to another street.

"We just met," Spencer continued. "So I'd like to know more about you so we can be…. I dunno, friends?"

"Is Spencer your real name?"

He grinned. "Yeah, it is. What's your full name?"

I almost laughed. "Cassidy Marisa Hunter," I answered him anyway.

"You have very pretty name."

I blushed and muttered a thank you.

"Yours is pretty too," I blurted out.

Fuck. What the hell am I fucking saying?

"Thanks, I guess," he said with a laugh.

"So will you tell me about your stepfather?" I said, watching him curiously as he returned to staring at the sky.

"He's one of those who dream of a perfect little family," he said quietly. "He wants a wife who can cook and greets him with a kiss whenever he comes home from work. He wants three smart and athletic kids who succeed and achieve in everything they do. He met my mother. His perfect little wife. My real dad died 'cause of a heart attack while mom was pregnant with Teddy.

"But to marry my mom, he'd get Teddy and me. Let's say we're not exactly the kids he's dreamed off. Teddy barely passes her classes and she cant run because she might 'break a nail'. I'm a bit better than her in school but I'm still one of the worst in my class. I play baseball but I'm too lazy to attend practices so why play?

"Mom and him got into this huge argument about us. He told her than we needed to be 'fixed'. Jesus, we're not inanimate objects! We're fucking human beings!"

"My friend, Florence, has divorced parents," I said. "I don't have any. What in the world is happening with the families these days?"

"What happened to your parents?" he asked curiously.

"Mum died and dad left me."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," I told him. "I live with a nice couple now… And James."

Teddy said Spencer was jealous of James. Was he? And more importantly, why? He had the looks himself. He was sort of charming in his own way. What does James have that he doesn't?

"James and I have a history," Spencer admitted but he didn't say anything else after that. I decided not to ask whatever happened to them in the past. It was obvious he didn't want to share it right now.

We walked in silence once again. We finally reached my street and I saw the huge manor. This was the first time I had actually paid attention to it from this far away. I understood why Vivian had called this the 'pretty Manor'. It was a beautiful place. It actually looked sort of like a castle.

"Vivian seems to really like you," Spencer said.

"She's adorable," I replied.

"She'd want you to come back, you know."

I chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."

"I'd like you to come back."

My cheeks flushed.

"I mean, I'd like to talk to to someone other than Teddy and Vivian," he added hastily. "I seriously do not give a fuck about how hot other guys are or how pretty the outfit of Teddy's is."

"Has Teddy always fancied James?" I asked, laughing.

"Yeah, ever since James first visited."

"Visited?" I immediately said.

"Yeah."

He didn't say anything else so I didn't press the subject further.

The Potter Manor was already pretty near but the gate wasn't opening. I frowned, wondering why it wasn't. It usually opened for me when I got here. I walked faster until I was directly in front of it. It still wouldn't open. What the hell was going on? Did James do this so I wouldn't be able to get in my own house? Yeah, that's right. This is my fucking house now! He cant just bloody lock me out!

"Bloody hell!" I cursed heatedly as I shook the gates making them rattle.

"Don't you have a key or something?" Spencer asked.

"No, I don't!" I snapped, pulling my hair. "This bloody thing is supposed to bloody open!"

"Okay, calm down," he said, chuckling.

"Sodding gate," I said, frustratingly kicking it.

"Cassie? Is that you?"

Mrs. Potter had appeared on the doorstep. The shiny and polished front double doors were slightly open and I saw the yellow light inside. Mrs. Potter walked towards the gate and I saw her reach for something inside her coat but she spotted Spencer and her hand immediately dropped.

"Cassie, I told you to come back at eight," Mrs. Potter said sternly from behind the gate.

"I'm really sorry," I said, staring at the ground. "I was invited to eat dinner by Mrs. Abrams."

Her eyes softened and she turned to Spencer.

"It was nice of you to walk her home, Spencer," she said, smiling sweetly.

"It was getting late," Spencer replied. "Mom didn't want her to walk home alone."

"Again, thank you so much."

He nodded at her with smile. "I should get home before it's too late. See you, Mrs. P. Bye, Cassie."

Spencer patted me awkwardly on the back before grinning at me and walking away, his head looking up at the stars and his hands deep inside his pockets. I wondered when I would see him again.

Snap out of it, Cassie. You cant see him again. You cant see any of them again.

We lived in different worlds. I was out of this place more than than half of the year. I'm a witch. I have a murderer for a father and he and his fellow Death Eater friends killed my whole family. A war was building up in my world. I cant afford to get Muggle friends now.

Once he was out of sight, Mrs. Potter pulled out her wand and tapped the gates, making them spring open.

"They don't open when there's a Muggle around," she explained.

I walked in before she locked them again and pulled me into a hug.

"Don't you stay out that late again, are we clear?" she whispered softly. "I was worried."

After assuring her that it would never happen again, she led me back into the house.

* * *

><p>I was back in my old house. It looked like it was five years ago. My cousins, aunts and uncles laying on the floor with pale blank faces. My mother was there too but here, she was standing up. Her blue eyes bored into mine. She looked dead but she was blinking and standing up. What was going on?<p>

"You could have stopped him, Cassie!" my mother screamed. "You could have! You could have been more observant! You could have noticed how he's changed!"

"Mum, I'm sorry!" I wailed. "It's my fault! It's all my fault!"

"Look what you've done!" she continued. "This could have been stopped! Cassie, why?"

"I didn't noticed it!" I said, feeling the hot tears run down my cheeks. "I did this to you! I could have stopped it! It's my fault!"

"Everyone you care about will die, like me! You're useless! You cant do anything to save them!"

Suddenly, the dead bodies of my family weren't there anymore. Instead, I saw Florence's and surprisingly, the Marauders'. I also saw Mr. and Mrs. Potter and Julie the house elf. Spencer was also there with his two siblings which surprised me just as much as seeing the Marauders. They were all on the floor, lifeless. I screamed their names but someone was screaming at me.

"_Hunter_!"

My mother was still there, a cold look on her face. Then she transformed. She grew taller and bigger. Her hair darkened and shortened. My father stood before me now, his wand on his hand. A cold laugh escaped his mouth and I screamed even louder.

"Hunter! Cassie! _Cassie, wake up_!"

I opened my eyes and James' sweaty and panicked expression was the first thing I saw. He was kneeling in front of me, hands on my shoulders. I noticed that my shoulders were a bit sore. He must have been shaking me. And did he just call me Cassie? He actually called me by my first name?

"James," I murmured.

"Yeah," he said hesitantly. "Yeah, it's me. You were… Well, you're sort of crying right now and you were screaming so I had to wake you up or I'll be awake all night myself."

I sat up and wiped my tears with the back of my hand. James was now sitting down beside me, eyeing me with curiosity. I was suddenly reminded of Spencer.

"You were shouting a bunch of names," James continued to speak. "First it was… uh, Floran?"

"Florence," I immediately correct him.

"Yeah, that," he muttered before continuing. "Then you said my name."

My stomach gave a violent lurch.

"You also said Sirius' name and Remus' and Peter's. Hunter, what were you dreaming about? You looked like you had a nasty nightmare."

I eyed him with suspicion. He was actually being…. nice. I wasn't used to it. In fact, I was becoming very suspicious. What was he trying to do? Was he trying to get some information from me and tell the whole world the next day? I didn't trust him. I didn't trust him at all.

"Go back to your bed, James," I said coldly.

"Well, fine," he snapped, standing up and hopping on his bed. "There's no need to be so rude about it. I was only trying to help."

"You're calling me rude?" I shot back. "Look who the fuck is talking!"

"I haven't said anything bad to you since that day we went with mum for lunch!"

"Why not?" I snapped. "Why haven't you? You hate me! I know you do! The feeling's mutual, anyway."

"I'm doing this for mum," he said determinedly. "If you want to be a bitch about it and don't even try, then fine. But she's my mother and she's already mad and I don't want to get grounded! Do you not know what happens to me when I get grounded? No Quidditch, no friends, _no girls_!"

"Yeah, it's always about you, innit?" I said with a glare.

"Don't play that shit with me!" he shot back. "People are naturally selfish. We do what we do for us. You don't want to try because of your personal intentions! So don't you dare put that shit on me because you're a hypocrite yourself! Oh, and by the way, I would appreciate it if you lower your voice a little because I like my sleep."

"Sod off."

"Also, try not to say Abrams' name because that'll just tempt me to punch your face."

"What is it with you and him?" I snapped. "He hasn't done anything to you! You didn't even know him when you saw him with me in the park."

"I know who Spencer Abrams is Hunter," he growled.

"Then why'd you ask-"

"Because he's nothing to me! I don't give two shits about him now! I don't care about the bloody past! He is nothing! I didn't even recognize him at first. You have no idea what happened so don't act like you know."

"Just.. sod off," I muttered. "Don't even try to be nice anymore. Just continue with you normal routine of hating me."

Giving him one last glare, I laid down on my bed and covered myself with the blanket. I heard him do the same. I was slowly drifting off to sleep but I was managed to stay awake to hear James' muffled voice from under his blanket.

"I don't hate you."

* * *

><p><em>Adorable Vivian Thomson, charming Spencer Abrams and his beautiful sister, Teddy. Add in a bit of James Potter and a worried foster parent. This was not the kind of summer Cassie had expected. Is there really a history between James and Spencer? Can Cassie avoid Spencer and his family forever?<em>

_"You live with him. You should know how much of an asshole he is." -Spencer Abrams, Live To Die, Chapter Nine, Summer At Maryfields_

* * *

><p><strong>I actually updated pretty fast! I was afraid you guys found the last chapter not very entertaining so I typed this whole afternoon just to finish this chapter and update it.<strong>

**Interesting moment/quote? Suggestions? Who's POV do you want in the next chapter? What do you think of my OCs?**

**To be honest, I don't like making OCs because they take so much work. Even Florence's name was from the book. She was only mentioned but it was revealed that she went to school during the time of the Marauders. I only made her last name up. If you think anyone here is a little bit too perfect then don't be afraid to tell me!**

**Please, tell me what you think!**

**Next chapter: Cassie will be starting her fifth year!**


	11. Home, Sweet Home

**Home, Sweet Home**

_Put Spencer's secrets on hold because now, the Marauders return to Hogwarts for their fifth year!_

* * *

><p><strong>SIRIUS<strong>

"I do not care what you do," Mother said nastily. "We are not bringing you anywhere."

"I'd rather shit bricks anyway," I shot back.

"How dare you-"

"Let him, Walburga," Father drawled. "He is not worth our time."

Mother shot me one last glare before stalking out of my room with my father. I turned back to my trunk, muttering furiously as I closed and locked it. I stood up and dragged it into the fireplace.

I gave my room one last glare before stepping into the fireplace with my trunk. There were Muggle posters around and moving pictures of me and the Marauders. The pictures reminded me of who I really am but the dark colored walls and old four-poster bed reminded me of my dark, sadistic family and their nasty ways.

After a loud whoosh, I stumbled and almost fell to the floor in James' bright colored room.

"Out, Hunter," James said who was seated on an swiveling office chair, crouching over something he was writing.

"I need to fix my trunk!" Hunter snapped from under her own desk, picking up some of her quills and her curly blonde hair covering her face.

"Fix it later."

"It's thirty minutes to eleven!"

"I don't care."

"Fine," Hunter grumbled, standing up and brushing dirt off the shirt she was wearing. "You have ten minutes. I'll be in my room, getting some clothes."

She left, muttering angrily to herself. James sat up and grinned at me. He motioned for me to go there. I walk towards him and look down at whatever he was doing.

I saw a giant piece of parchment with several unfolding flaps. Though it was mostly written on, there were still a few blank spaces. I grinned and took the parchment from the desk.

"Bloody brilliant," I breathed.

"We worked all summer on this," James said, nodding. "This'll be finished before the month ends."

"Four years of exploring really did pay off."

"I knew it would have its uses," James laughed. "We know every hallway, corner and room in that castle. Well, most of it, I reckon. Who knows what kind of secrets that castle has?"

"What happens after drawing it all out?" I asked. "Remus said he had a plan, didn't he?"

"He found a spell in the restricted section. If it works, we'll be able to see every single person in Hogwarts and where they are. This way-"

"We'll never get caught," I finished for him, grinning even wider.

"Exactly."

"It'll be much easier when we're finished with our… stuff," I said. "With your invisibility cloak, the three of us can sneak out to that blasted tree!"

"This year is going to be fantastic!" James exclaimed then an even more ecstatic expression appeared on his face as he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a shiny silver badge with a C on it. Then it hit me. The Gryffindor Captain badge.

"Bloody brilliant!" I said happily, patting him on the back.

The door burst open and Hunter entered with a pile of clothes, obviously still in a bad mood. She shot James and me a glare before dropping the clothes in her trunk and closing the lid. I heard Mrs. Potter call us from downstairs. James pulled his trunk towards him, using his foot. With one swipe of his hand, all the things on his desk, including the unfinished map of Hogwarts, fell into his messy trunk. He pinned his badge on his plain white long sleeve button down. He folded his sleeves up to his elbows and closed the lid of his trunk.

Excitement filled me as we ran down the staircase, dragging our trunks behind us. Fifth year was going to be a great year. I had a strong feeling it would. James and I dropped our trunks off in the living room and we sat on the couch, talking about our future pranks and plans.

Then somehow, Cassie Hunter became a topic.

"Sleeping in the same room as her, eh?" I said, smirking.

"It's not what you think," James replied quickly, glaring at me.

"Look who decided to drop by today, boys!"

James and I immediately turned to the front door where Mrs. Potter was beaming beside Remus.

"Moony!" James and I cheered, squishing him in a 'man hug'.

"His mum just dropped him off," Mrs. Potter explained. "He'll be coming with us to the platform!"

"Why didn't you tell me, Moony?" James said, clapping Remus on the back.

"I'll leave you boys to it," Mrs. Potter said. "I need to fix some things in the kitchen. We'll be leaving in five minutes!"

And with that, she walked back in the kitchen, leaving me, James and Remus in the living room. Remus sat on the couch and James and I sat on either side of him. We talked to him in hushed voices as we explained to him the near completion of the Hogwarts map.

He seemed to be delighted and whispered to us his plans for the map. He didn't recognize the tiny figure walking down the stairs. I didn't recognize her either until James abruptly stood up. My head snapped up and saw Cassie Hunter staring curiously at us. James immediately pushed Remus' head down to the couch and behind my back…. or arse.

"James!" Remus exclaimed, trying to get up but James' hand was still forcing his head to stay where it was. "_What are you doing_?"

Hunter was still staring at us at the bottom of the staircase, open-mouthed. Her green eyes showed her curiosity and there was a small crease between her eyebrows.

"He's going to find out eventually, mate," I muttered to James.

"Find out what?" Remus' voice came from behind me.

"Sirius!" James hissed.

"I figured it out in less than a day!" I told him. "And Remus is way smarter than me!"

Hunter shifted uncomfortably.

"Fine," James finally gave in.

He released Remus' head and Remus slowly sat back up, massaging his scalp as he glared at James. James was nervously biting his lip, looking from Remus to Hunter as though wondering how he would react.

"What is wrong with you?" I heard Remus mumble under his breath before really scanning his surroundings. His eyes landed on Hunter and a yelp escaped his mouth. "It's you!"

Remus looked from James to Hunter to me with a frown on his face. He stared at Hunter again, blinking his eyes rapidly. He turned to James again, opening his mouth then closing it. He repeated this a few more times before James gave a groan and sat down beside him with a sigh.

"We're not dating if that's what you're thinking," James muttered before sending me a glare. I grinned cheekily at him.

"No, of course, you're not," Remus said quietly but there was still doubt in his eyes.

Hunter's face was an interesting shade of red.

"Mum brought her in a year ago after her dad was arrested," James continued to explain.

I don't even want to know how James got this information out of his dad.

"So, she's been living with you since…" Remus finished.

"They share the same room too," I added.

Remus barked out a laugh. James glared at me as I joined him. Hunter was still awkwardly standing there. Remus seemed to have remembered something because he stops laughing and his whole face lights up. He reached for something from the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a shiny badge with a Gryffindor lion and a P on it.

Holy shit.

"No way," James breathed.

"I go it," Remus beamed.

"What is that?" Hunter asked curiously, walking towards the couch with her eyes narrowed.

"A prefect badge," I said quietly, staring at it with wide eyes.

I know what you guys are thinking. Why are James and Sirius making this sound like a big deal? Shouldn't they be sad that Remus didn't follow their footsteps and become a pranking maniac?

No. We're not sad at all. You see, with a prefect in the group, our chances of getting caught now is close to zero since the teachers will think Remus will be able stop our pranking. Sucks for them. Remus has tried stopping us once.

That was the first time we've actually pranked someone within the group.

James and I congratulated Remus, patting him on the back and talking about the exciting things we could do with him as prefect. We would be able to know the dates of the Hogsmeade trips beforehand. We'd be able to know the schedule of the prefect rounds at night!

Oh, that would be fun.

Mrs. Potter entered the living room spotted the badge on Remus' hand. Then she started to tell him how she and Mr. Potter were fifth year prefects in their time as well. They were the strictest of all and were even Head Boy and Head Girl.

How the fuck is James their son?

"I'm Captain of the Quidditch team, you know," James told Remus.

Remus beamed and congratulated him, telling him the captains had almost the same privileges as the prefects.

"We're off, children," Mr. Potter announced as he walked down the staircase to the living room. "Cassie and James will be with me. Sirius and Remus, you're both apparating with Dorea."

"Have fun with your girlfriend," Remus teased James who scowled.

"She's not my fucking girlfriend," he growled. "I love Lily!"

I rolled my eyes and walked towards Mrs. Potter who smiled warmly at me. James always tells me that he's convinced that his mother likes me more than him. Of course, I'm just too modest for my own good.

_"Oh, James, you know how freaking brilliant I am. You should have expected that!"_

I held Mrs. Potter's arm and sent James a grin. He scowled at me in return.

I'll tell you something about James. People may think he's got a pretty horrible temper on him. No. He doesn't. That's Lily Evans and calling her temper 'pretty horrible' is a fucking understatement. Bloody girl's glaring at everything all the time. She's fucking nuts.

James, on the other hand, is usually cool, calm and collected. But if you get him mad, he gets mad. Like fucking seriously angry. And it lasts. It can last for a bloody year if he gets really angry. He was angry most of the time during fourth year because of Cassie Hunter.

I'll have a little talk with her later on about _not pissing James off ever again_. Merlin knows I couldn't take one more minute of James' rants about how stupid she is and how bloody annoying. Jeez, cant he just push her in the lake and get it over with?

I felt the air rush out of my lungs and it was like I was being forced into a narrow tube that I obviously couldn't fit in. When everything stopped spinning, my feet touched the ground and I took in deep breaths. I felt my grin returning to my face when I saw the scarlet Hogwarts Express. It was about to leave in a few minutes and it was headed to the one place where I was king.

Hogwarts.

Home.

Remus put a hand on my shoulder, a smile slowly creeping up to his face. He should be just as excited as me. I knew how he felt about that place. He was welcomed like a normal student despite his problem. I couldn't help but feel extremely grateful to Dumbledore just for that.

It's the main reason why I respected him so much. Not because of his defeat of one of the most dangerous wizards in history or because he was the one person Voldemort feared. I respected him because of what he did for Remus. Remus is the one person who should be able to deserve that kind of kindness.

Mrs. Potter gave Remus and me a goodbye hug before turning to her son and Hunter. Remus and I shook Mr. Potter's hand and he disapparated with a loud crack. Mrs. Potter disapparated as well a minute after him.

I heard a whistle and the three of us boys stepped into the train with our trunks, talking about our future pranks and plans. We saw Peter walking in the hallway, standing on his tiptoes to find us as the train started to move. We waved him over and opened our usual compartment that we had somehow claimed in our third year.

Problem was, there was already someone seated inside.

"It's you," James said bitterly.

Dammit. Happy, cheerful and mischievous James was gone, just like that. Can somebody just not piss him off so much right now?

"Looks like you better find another compartment then," Alex Greengrass said, raising his eyebrows at us.

"We're not finding another fucking compartment," James snapped. "Get out!"

"No, I don't think I will."

"Dear Jesus, if you don't get the fuck out right now-"

"James, let's just go find another compartment," Remus muttered to him. "He's not worth it."

I shot Greengrass a glare before stepping back in the hallway, pulling James out of the compartment with me. Remus closed the door and we walked towards the end, finding a hopefully empty compartment.

Something's off with that kid. The first time he actually talked to us, he told us to back off Hunter. Now, he's stealing our compartment. This kid seriously fancies an early death.

We finally found a compartment with only one tiny first year in it. James, who's still in a sour mood, slid the glass door open and sent the kid a fierce glare.

"Fuck off."

And those two words earned us an empty compartment! I even thought I saw the upper part of his jeans darken.

Fuck.

I knew James was a bit scary at times but not scary enough to make children piss in their trousers.

Remus cleaned the wet part of the chair with his wand before sitting down and pulling out a book. James pulled out the map of Hogwarts he nearly finished and showed it to Peter who looked at each tiny detail in wonder.

James borrowed Remus' prefect badge. I could have sworn I saw him pull his wand out.

There was a knock on the door and our heads shot up to look at whoever was knocking. I was pretty surprised to see Lily Evans standing there with her signature scowl on her face. It looked like she would rather swim with the cockroaches than stand outside our compartment.

Well, nobody invited _you_ here.

James stood up immediately, the second he laid his eyes on the girl he's been going after since first year. He stumbled to the door and slid it open, ruffling his hair.

"What brings you here, Evans?" James asked with his signature grin as he lent against the wall, arms crossed and his right foot over his left one.

"Obviously, not you," she snapped, pushing him out of the way and stepping in.

I immediately stood up, raising my eyebrows at her.

"I don't remember inviting you in here," I said coolly.

She sent me the same glare she sent James, who was currently behind her, hurt etched across his face.

Damn that bitch.

Evans finally turned her attention to Remus.

"I was informed that you're a prefect as well," she said formally.

"Yeah, why?" Remus asked, a crease forming in between his eyebrows.

"You're late for the meeting."

"_Holy shit_!"

Well, that surprised me. Remus cursing was always a rare moment. He only does it when he's extremely scared, extremely angry or simply panicking.

Evans didn't look too pleased about Remus' choice of words.

Typical.

Remus reached for his prefect badge that was on the table and ran out of the compartment with Evans. James sighed and ruffled his hair some more. He slid the door close and sat down, grumbling.

"I'm saying it again, mate," I said, staring outside the window. "She's not worth it."

"Oh, she's worth it," James replied, joining me in staring. "She's definitely worth it."

"Hey, I didn't know about this secret passage!" Peter piped up from his seat.

James leaned over to see which secret passage Peter was talking about. Not long after that, Remus barged in our compartment looking quite angry. He slammed his prefect badge on the table.

"What in the world is this?" he snapped.

James didn't bother to hold in his laughter. Peter leaned over to see what was wrong with the badge. I joined him. Then I saw what exactly James did to it.

Four letters were cramped up beside the P and the word 'Penis' was formed.

I couldn't help but join James in laughter. Peter followed in quickly after. Remus was still scowling but I could tell he was fighting back a laugh himself.

Laughing at things like this, you should be able to see why we're friends.

* * *

><p>"This sorting will take months if they continue walking at that pace," I said to James, Remus and Peter.<p>

I didn't notice that McGonagall was already passing our part of the table with the ridiculously slow first years behind her. I only noticed when she hit my head with her scroll. James couldn't hold his snort and that got him a hit on the head as well.

"Missed you too, McG!" James called after her making a the students around us chuckle.

Though I suggested 'Minnie' to be McGonagall's nickname, James liked to use 'McG' because it sounded more gangster. He made it up last year. I think it sounds ridiculous. Then again, Minnie sounds almost as bad.

Thankfully, the sorting lasted shorter than I expected. After Dumbledore announced the start of the feast, I immediately took whatever food was within my reach. While I ate, I spotted Hunter sitting not too far away from us. I was pretty surprised to see her eating alone. Her eyes were also red and puffy. I could see tear stains on her cheeks.

Where was her redheaded friend? What was her name? Flora? Floran? Florice?

I decided to push the thought out of my head. Whatever she was crying about, it's not my problem.

Dinner continued smoothly. Though, I tried keeping Cassie Hunter out of my head but I started to glance at her more whenever I did. What happened? Why was she crying? I was starting to get extremely curious. I examined her face more.

She looked oddly… familiar. She looked like someone I knew. Seeing her face when she's crying makes her even more familiar. And worst of all, I didn't even know who she looked like. I just know she looked like someone I knew. Whoever that someone was.

We made our way to the dormitory after the feast. It was at least cleaner than the last time we were here. I flopped down on my bed and I fell asleep almost immediately. It only felt like a few minutes before I felt someone shaking me awake.

"Sirius! Get up! We're really late!"

I normally wouldn't give two shits about being late but then I remembered that we should avoid detentions as much as possible now because we need all the time we can get to get the steps done and become Animagi for Remus.

I snatched my uniform from my trunk and put it on quickly. In only a few minutes, I was forced out of the dormitory with my tie still undone and no jumper or robes on. My shoes were barely on and my belt wasn't even properly around my waist.

We ran through the hallways, all of us missing at least two pieces of clothing from our uniform. I swear to God I saw James wearing only one sock. Unfortunately, we run into the one person we seriously did not want to deal with right now.

"Snape!" James hissed, pulling his wand out.

The slimy Slytherin pulled his own wand out and I decided to take out mine in case James needed someone to back him up.

"Get away from me, Potter," Snape said, pointing his wand at him.

"Like I was actually going to you," James laughed. "But why would I leave when I have a pretty good opportunity to curse you right now?"

"I said get away!"

A spell was sent at James but he easily dodged it.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

Snape's wand was out of his hand before he could even react at James' spell. I caught the wand at twirled it with my fingers, grinning evilly at Snape.

"Ah, Snivellus," I said almost fondly. "Didn't you ever learn that it's rude to talk to your superiors that way?"

He snorted. "As if you're superiors!"

"Sirius, we're really late for potions," Remus mumbled beside me.

"Slughorn loves us," Peter said, looking eagerly from James and me to Snape. "As if he'd actually give us detention."

Remus still looked uneasy so I decided to pick up the pace with Snape.

"Give me my wand back!" Snape demanded.

James clicked his tongue. "Now, now, Snivelly. Ask nicely."

A string of curses escaped his mouth. James shook his head, acting disappointed.

"_Langlock_," he muttered.

Snape's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, preventing him from speaking properly. James barked out laughter when Snape tried to speak. Peter joined him. I watched him with amusement.

James turned around and started to walk away, still laughing. Peter and Remus joined him as they walked away. I threw Snape's wand to the other end of the corridor before jogging after them. But before we could take a turn, Remus pulled James out of the way and a jet of white light soared past us. Remus must have turned around, just in time to see Snape cast the spell.

Furious, I pulled my wand out for the second time and aimed a full body-bind curse at him. Just as I hoped, it hit him on the chest and he fell to the ground. I briskly walked up to him and put my foot on his stomach. I pointed my wand at his face.

"You're a coward," I hissed.

I could see the anger in his eyes but I didn't care. I opened my mouth to say another spell but unfortunately, someone decides to interrupt.

"_NO_!"

My head snapped up and I saw a furious Lily Evans stomping her way towards us, her wand out as well.

"Get off him!" she ordered.

"This is between me and him, Evans," I said coolly.

"No! I said, _get off him_!"

"And what if I don't?"

"I'll give you a week of detention," Evans said viciously.

Normally, I wouldn't care. But our lives weren't normal. Not at the moment, at least. We were doing something against the law and we needed to finish as soon as possible. I clenched my fists and resisted the urge to punch her. Fuck her and that stupid prefect's badge pinned on her robes.

"Looks like Evans is here to save you today, Snivellus," I whispered dangerously to the Slytherin on the floor. "I didn't think you'd want to accept help from a filthy Mudblood like her."

I knew she heard me. I could see the hurt on her face. She deserved it, she did. I've seen that look on James' face countless times and it was mostly because of her. It's time she feels how it's like to get hurt like that.

Mudblood is a word I grew up with. I used to use it all the time when I mentioned Muggle-borns. Of course, I didn't know how insulting it was to them. When I called Lily Evans a Mudllood while I talked to James in first year, he went ballistic. For a whole period, he ignored me and I just sat there, wondering what was so bad with what I said until Peter told me how insulting the word Mudblood is to Muggle-borns.

I don't think the boys heard me because when I finally walked away from Snape, they followed and shot me questioning looks. I just shook my head and made my way to our next class. Based on Evans' sudden appearance, we obviously missed first period.

* * *

><p><strong>REMUS<strong>

I cant stop them. That's the last thing I would want to do. I just want them to stop. It's wrong. It's all wrong. They shouldn't be able to do this but still, they do. I try not to participate in what they do. I try not to laugh no matter how funny Sirius' comment is or how clever James' insult is.

I refused to look at Lily Evans during the prefect's meeting after the first day of school. I'm forced to sit with her because we're partners. But unfortunately, Evans and I are scheduled for rounds tonight.

She completely ignored me as we walked around the dark hallway. In my head, I just keep repeating '_please don't find them, please don't find them_'. I knew that they're in one of the empty classrooms, trying to work as fast as they could to complete the process of becoming Animagi. Luckily for James, his first detention with Professor McGonagall only took an hour and a half.

"You shouldn't let them get away with those kinds of things," Evans said, breaking the silence.

I shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"You're a prefect now," she continued. "I think the reason why Professor Dumbledore gave you that job is to keep Black and Potter from creating more trouble here."

"Stopping my friends from creating more trouble in this castle is something I definitely don't want to do again," I said quietly.

"Well, you have to try!" Evans exclaimed.

"I've tried, Evans," I snapped, not wanting to discuss James and Sirius' tactics right now.

She looked hurt for a moment and I immediately felt guilty. I muttered an apology. Well, I guess I was already getting cranky and irritable because the full moon was next weekend.

"Well, apparently I was wrong," Evans said darkly. "You're just as bad as them."

"They're not bad," I said immediately, wanting to defend the two boys who've done so much for me and are doing something that would definitely make a big difference in my transformations.

"Why do you even hang out with them?"

"They've done things for me that nobody else would do," I said simply.

Evans snorted, clearly not believing me. I took deep breaths to keep myself calm because I could feel the anger building up inside me.

"It's true," I said.

"But the way they go around, thinking they own the castle just because they're rich," Evans spat. "And how they bully those younger and weaker than them just because they can."

I shrugged.

"That's it?" she asked incredulously. "You're not even going to agree with me? That's how they are! They're egotistical and narcissistic."

"Don't act like you actually know them," I said softly.

"I know enough."

"There's so much more to them that you don't know and don't understand," I pressed on. "You don't know everything, Evans. It's one of the reasons why Sirius hates you so much. It's the way you walk around, thinking you know everything."

It hurt her. It obviously did. But I felt like I was doing her a favor. She needed to know this. It's like how Sirius and James needed to know that their heads are growing too large. I've told them that quite a few times. They still don't change. Hopefully, Lily Evans would.

"Why do you call me Evans?" she asked quietly.

"Calling you Lily would make Sirius think I was friends with you. It'll also make James think I fancy you or something."

"So, you're saying you cant be friends with me…"

"Yeah, that's quite about it," I said."Being friends with you would be suicide. I wouldn't want to be at the end of one of their pranks ever again."

We finished our rounds in silence. The moment we entered Gryffindor tower, Evans walked up the staircase to her dormitory without another word. I sat on the couch for a while, staring at the fire that illuminated the common room.

James, Sirius and Peter should already be upstairs. We had come to an agreement to always head back to the tower before eleven. I thought out what they were doing for me. It wasn't easy. Peter was having difficulties and James and Sirius helped him in any way they could.

I remembered trying to talk them out of this decision. Sirius was the one who suggested it. He did some research on werewolves and apparently, with other animals present, werewolves were less willing to harm themselves. I couldn't have asked for better friends.

Yawning, I finally made my way up the staircase. I stopped in front of the wooden door to my dormitory and pushed it open. I was expecting to see all three boys laying down on their beds (or sometimes, they would accidentally switch because they're too tired to check if it's their bed they're sleeping on) and snoring loudly.

I was surprised to see all three boys awake and sitting on their own beds. I was even more surprised to see a sobbing Cassie Hunter sitting on my mattress. Sirius was sitting cross-legged, his elbow on his thigh and his chin on his closed fist. He sent glares to James then to the sobbing blonde. Peter's eyes shifted from Sirius to Hunter, a nervous look on his face.

James was the first to notice me enter. He gave me a weak smile and waved half-heartedly. I stared at back at him, a blank expression on my face with my mouth agape.

Sirius turned his attention to me and scowled.

"Apparently, James has got a soft spot for crying women."

* * *

><p><em>What could Cassie Hunter be doing inside the Marauders' dormitory at eleven in the evening, crying? Remus may just be as confused as you are. Is Sirius' memory catching up to him? Cassie's tears would definitely remind him of the awkward girl sobbing in the common.<em>

_"Hey, I'm just trying to help! It's not like I'm going to rape you or anything." -Sirius Black, Live To Die, Chapter Four, Operation: M.O.I.D.I.C._

* * *

><p><strong>Hello there, my loves! Thank you so so much for all your wonderful reviews and favorite-ing and alerting this story!<strong>_  
><em>

**Suggestions are always more than welcome! For those who did suggest, I'll be getting to them as soon as possible.**

**What do you think of my OCs? Including Cassie. Though, this chapter was solely directed towards the Marauders. I just wanted to show you all that they've got their regular lives going too because I've been typing too much about Cassie's everyday life.**

**Tell me what you think, loves! Reviews are what motivates me to keep typing. :)**


	12. Flying Problems

**Flying Problems**

_Rule #7: Hide._

* * *

><p><strong>FLORENCE<strong>

I was angry. I was very very angry. How could she? How could she actually do that me? Have I done something to her? Was I not a good friend? Did I read her diary or steal her favorite dress? No! I didn't! I've done my best to welcome her into Hogwarts and stayed by her side when she was upset. Why could I possibly have done to make her do this to me?

He was her father. That wretched man is her fucking dad! I told her about my family life! I told her my parents are divorced. I told her I live with my sister. I told her everything out myself and she doesn't even tell me her dad is Harrison _fucking_ Hunter! Did she think I would leave her once I found out? Did she think I would tell the whole world about it?

Who does she think I am? I would never do that to her! Never in my life would I ever do that to her. She was my first real friend, only to find out that she's been keeping secrets from me. Secrets that I needed to know. After I found out that my parents were kidnapped, she could have told me Hunter was her father. I wouldn't have reacted badly. After she found out about my father being murdered, she could have told me then! I wouldn't react as badly as I am right now.

But no. She decides to keep it a FUCKING SECRET and make me find out myself. I was there. I was only just leaving. I was about to leave the castle when I heard James' voice echo in the Entrance Hall from the Great Hall. I saw a tall kid peeking through the giant double doors which were slightly open. Then I heard it. Her father. Her father killed my father. And she didn't even bother to tell me.

With a swipe of my hand, the glass on the kitchen counter smashed on the floor, sending glass shards everywhere. I wince where I feel a shard cut my leg. I get off the stool I was sitting on and examined the bleeding wound. I heard a door slamming shut and footsteps coming closer. I stand straight as soon as my sister enters the kitchen, flustered.

"What happened?" she asked, pulling her wand out. She waved it lazily and the shards flew back together and the glass had set itself on the kitchen counter again.

"Cassie Hunter happened," I growled.

She frowned and turned to my wound. She cleaned it with her wand and grabed a bottle from one of the cabinets and applied it. It stung and I winced. She stood up straight and looked me in the eye.

"You have to talk to her," she said.

"No," I answered her immediately. "I'm not going to talk to her ever again."

"She's your best friend."

"She was my only friend!" I nearly shouted. She blinked at the tone of my voice. "She was my only freaking friend and I was hers! We had each other! I told her everything! Every single detail about how messed up our fucking family is and she doesn't even tell me the one thing that I really needed to know!"

"She must have been scared."

"She thought I'd leave her, Elaine," I snapped. "She thought I'd leave her to her shit and find another fucking friend."

"So what if she did?" Elaine shot back. "You'd be afraid of the possibilities too if you were in her position!"

"She should have known!"

"She only just met you, Florence."

"She knew me enough after she found out mum and dad were kidnapped by Hunter!"

Elaine stared warily at me before shaking her head and grabbing the plastic bag from the kitchen counter.

"You have to think this through, Flo," she said. "You're not returning to Hogwarts anytime soon with that attitude."

I glared at her until she finally disappears inside her room. I slumped back on my stool and laid my elbows on the kitchen counter. I buried my face in my hands.

She has to know how angry I am. She has to. I slid off the stool and opened one of the drawers. I got some parchment, a quill and ink. It took me twenty minutes just to think of a way to start. When I'm satisfied of what I thought of, I get the quill, dip it in the ink bottle and I crouched over the parchment.

_Dear, Cassie you're-a-lying-son-of-a-bitch Hunter,_

* * *

><p><strong>JAMES<strong>

"So you just dragged her up to our dormitory?" Remus asked me for the fifth time.

"Yes, Moony. I did," I told him patiently.

"But, James, you hate her!" he said. "Why would you-"

"You fancy her, don't you?" Sirius snapped. "You do! I can see it in your face!"

"I don't fucking fancy her, mate," I said calmly.

"Then why'd you do it?"

"Because dad told me to!" I finally confess. "He found out about what we do to her and he got really angry at me. Apparently, I have to gain her trust or shit. It's either I follow his orders or he's taking my broom from me."

"Ouch," Peter winced.

I nod solemnly. Sirius took over the conversation and started to talk about our near completion of being Animagi. I tuned out of the conversation as we walked down the staircase to the Great Hall. We got the usual stares and sighs as we walked towards our place in the Gryffindor table. We passed by Cassie Hunter who, as usual, was eating alone.

She looked much better than she was yesterday. Her eyes still looked a bit red though. I have to admit, I do feel pretty sorry for her. She's told us bits of why she was crying in an empty classroom after curfew. Apparently, she got a letter from her best friend telling her how much of a bitch she is because she never told her that her father was Harrison Hunter and she only found out because of me.

Does that make it my fault?

Nah, obviously not. Hunter should have told her about that months ago. She's her best friend, for Merlin's sake. She deserved to know.

We sat down and started to get whatever food was near. I was about to take in a spoonful of mashed potatoes then someone grabbed my ear, making me drop my spoon on the plate with a clatter. I cussed loudly at whoever it was but I was pulled up from my seat and I was dragged outside the hall.

Remus, Sirius and Peter stood up and ran after me. I can see everyone watching curiously. I try to turn my head to see who was dragging me but whenever I made a move, the person would twist my ear making it hurt even more.

I wondered if it was McGonagall. But she'd never hurt us physically. Maybe it's Hunter. Lord knows she hates my guts but I passed by her side of the table and she watches us leave with wide eyes. Maybe it was Snape but he's too much of a coward to get at least five feet near us.

When we're finally out of the Great Hall, the doors closed with a loud thud and my ear was released. I immediately stand up straight and cursed repeatedly, turning to see who it was.

Well, I did not expect to see the blonde hair and furious brown eyes of Denise Smith standing before me.

"What are you playing at?" she spat.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, frowning.

"You bloody should know what I'm talking about!" she yelled, slapping my arm.

One slap. Two slaps. Three slaps.

"_Jesus_, woman!" I exclaimed, holding her wrist with my hand. "What the fuck is _wrong_ with you?"

"What the fuck is wrong with _you_?" she hissed, her finger poking my chest.

What the hell's going on? She's acting like I punched her grandmother.

"Whoa, whoa, Dainty," Sirius stepped forward, pulling her away from me. "What's your problem here?"

"He's my problem, Sirius! He's my bloody problem! Him and his perfect little face and life! Him and his perfect little broomstick and talent! _Him, him, HIM_!"

Denise breathed heavily, glaring at Sirius who was raising his hands up in surrender. Okay, I know I've got a near perfect life but what's her problem with it? It's not like I shagged her best friend or anything.

"I've been on the team longer than you!" Denise screamed. "I was on the team for four bloody years! _Four_! Four years of training my arse off! Four years of doing my best to finally be in charge when I get the chance! _Four bloody years_!"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. No need to repeat the number again."

She gave a frustrated yell and pulled her hair.

"Mate, I think she's talking about your captaincy," Remus muttered beside me.

"I reckon she wants to have it," Peter agreed.

"Of course I want to have it!" Denise hissed, obviously hearing Peter and Remus. "In my third year, you came! How _delightful_!"

I can tell she was being sarcastic in that last part.

"Then you became everyone's favorite and the best fucking Chaser in this stupid school," she continued. "Then for the next three years, I had to put up with you and that oversized head of yours! I thought, when Justin would finally graduate, he'd give me that badge! I'll be able to maybe decrease the size of your head a bit and make you get along with everyone in the team! But no! Of course not. Perfect little James Potter just has to get the bloody badge!

"Do you know how much I want that thing? That tiny thing that I wasted all my sweat on for four bloody years. Do you know how much I want to wring your pretty boy neck because of what you did to me?"

"I didn't do anything to you!" James shot back. "I didn't choose to be captain!"

"You showed up in tryouts, that's what you did!" she snapped. "Three years ago, I was determined to please my captain and shoot as many goals that I can for us to win the Quidditch cup. But unfortunately, one of our chasers quit because of studies and we had tryouts. Then look who decided to show up in their baggy jeans and a Gryffindor sweater! You know, honestly? We thought you sucked! Just one look at you and we already knew that weren't going to make it with that stupid grin on you face and your totally inappropriate clothes! There was also the fact that you were in second year!

"Nobody gets in the team when you're in second year! No one! Rarely any child would have any kind of Quidditch talent at that age. But of course, you just to show up with your natural talent and you changed all my Quidditch plans! My plans of being the best Chaser in this school. My plans of scoring more goals than any other Chaser here. My plans of being captain and putting up the best team."

"You're talking as if you're part of an international Quidditch team," I snorted. "You need to relax, mate."

"You need to relax, mate," Denise repeated in a very low tone, a ridiculous and childish attempt to mock me. "Piss off." she spat before turning and walking away.

"Hey, hey! Dainty, come on!" Sirius pleaded, grabbing her shoulder.

"Don't _touch_ me!" she hissed, shaking his hand off.

"Cant we just talk about this?"

"No!" she yelled, turning back to us. "I'm tired of you two! You better get ready James Potter because you're going to need a new Beater, a new Seeker _and_ a new Chaser this year."

Shit. She's not… She cant be….

"Wait, Denise!" I called, running after her. "Come on! You cant do this to me! I'm kicking out McKinnon this year!"

"Then that's your problem," she said viscously.

I watched her blonde head disappear as she turned to another hallway. Sirius sighed heavily before leaning against the wall and running his hand through his hair.

This cant be happening. She cant quit. She's one of the best Chasers in this school! She cant just quit! I gave a frustrated yell and ruffled my hair in annoyance. Just because I got to be captain! It wasn't my fault. Anyway, I'd be a much better captain than her any day. She whines too much and gets annoyed easily.

"We don't need her," I said, trying to put as much confidence as I can in my tone.

Sirius looks up at me, a look of doubt flashing across his face.

"We don't need her," I repeat. "We'll find another Chaser. Hopefully, they're better than the Chasers who tried out last year."

"You still kicking McKinnon off the team?" Sirius asked.

I sighed and ruffled my hair once more. "No."

* * *

><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

**IN NEED OF A SEEKER, BEATER AND CHASER**

**TRYOUTS THIS FRIDAY AT FOUR IN THE AFTERNOON**

**WEAR ANYTHING COMFORTABLE OR NOTHING AT ALL**

_-JAMES POTTER, GRYFFINDOR QUIDDITCH CAPTAIN_

I stared at the sign pinned to the notice board in the common room. I was in the middle of a huge pack of Gryffindors who were trying to see the sign too. I heard a few of them muttering curses because they have a detention that day and some of them were whooping, excited for the upcoming tryouts.

I've never rode a broom before. My mother was always looking out for me and whenever my father would suggest teaching me how to ride a broom, mum would say no. I never wanted to learn anyway.

Squeezing my way out of the crowd, I finally find my way to an open space near the portrait hole. Tomorrow's Friday meaning tomorrow's the tryouts. Maybe I'd watch. I watched the tryouts last year with Florence but I barely even paid attention to whoever was trying out. We were too busy watching Sirius Black's every move.

I decided to wander around the castle. It's still about an hour before curfew. Thank Merlin not many students are out today. Though I still get the usual glares and scared stares from the few students I passed. It's the second week of school and no, I'm not used to them. They irritate me. They irritate me more than James' stupid face does.

_Calm down, Cassie_, I told myself. _He helped you a few nights ago, remember?_

I guess bringing me to his dormitory with his friends is helpful enough. I cried my eyes out while explaining to them how Florence detests me. Sirius finally lost it and told me to shut up and stop crying. He's right though. He said crying wasn't going to help anything. I should suck it up and act. Though, I did catch him staring at me with a curious expression once or twice.

He couldn't possibly remember speaking to me in the common room in fourth year. That was ages ago! He should have forgotten about it by now. He has to. If he hasn't, I have to stop crying in his presence. It's only a matter of time when he finally puts the pieces together.

I end up in the Quidditch pitch, not knowing why. I guess it's because of the poster I was reading about tryouts. The Quidditch pitch was the first place that came in my head.

It looks bigger with no one flying around or sitting on the stands. I stepped on the field, looking around. I made sure to check every spot on the stands. When I'm convinced that nobody's here but me, I pull out a piece of parchment from the inside pocket of my robes.

It's Florence's letter. I keep it with me at all times. Despite the fact that it's mostly consisted with insults and curses directed towards me, it reminds me that she's still out there. She's not dead. I unfold the parchment, reading the letter for the fifth time today.

_Dear, Cassie you're-a-lying-son-of-a-bitch Hunter,_

_Look, I'm angry. You should know that. You were a bitch. You should have told me. He killed my father. I had the right to know. I was your best friend. I was your ONLY fucking friend. Telling me he's your father was the least you could do. I told you everything about my life, only to find out that I know absolutely nothing about you. It starts with Harrison Hunter being your father. I just cant take your shit anymore, Cassie._

_When I come back, don't apologize. You've done enough damage._

_-Flo_

Sighing, I stare at the paper blankly, taking in Florence's handwriting and words. I don't cry. I've done enough of that. Crying never helps.

"Fancy seeing you here, Hunter."

Startled, I accidentally let go of the parchment. Cold wind blew it towards the center of the field but it was caught before it went any further. At first glance, I thought it was Sirius. I take a few steps closer only to see the gray eyes and dark hair of Regulus Black. I gaped at him, wide-eyed. There was a small smirk on his face as he held up Florence's letter.

"I believe this is yours," he said.

He took my hand and put the letter in it.

"Gryffindor tryouts are tomorrow, I heard," he continued to speak.

I nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Are you going to tryout?"

"No!" I exclaimed. "No, of course not!"

"What are you doing here then?"

"I just needed to clear my mind."

"You know, if you tried out, you'd get in," he told me.

I blinked and shook my head furiously. "Absolutely not! That's preposterous."

"They obviously got a thing for you."

"What?" I snapped. "What're you- Who the hell-"

"Their group, of course," Regulus smiled, his eyebrows raised. "Don't tell me you don't see it."

I frowned at him. See what? What the fuck am I supposed to see?

"Well, I cant possibly be the one to tell you," he said, smiling wider.

Scowling, I crumpled Florence's letter and put it back in my pocket. This made him grin and I resisted the urge to punch his face. I saw that he was holding his broom but he's still in his Hogwarts uniform.

"So, you trying out or not?"

"I don't know how to fly," I mumbled irritatedly, wanting him to shut up already.

"Of course, you don't," he smirked. "Right, well, I bet if you knew how to fly, you'll get in the team."

"How much," I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Ten Galleons, six Sickles and seven Knuts," he replied calmly.

Was he serious? He sounded serious. He looked serious as well. He's seriously betting with me. He thought I could get in the team if I knew how to fly. Getting in the team, especially since James is captain, will be impossible. Ten Galleons? Well, that's quite a load of money…

"How am I supposed to learn how to fly then?"

"I'll teach you."

I blinked. He'll teach me? No way. No way am I going to embarrass myself in front of him. I can barely stay up in the stands when I'm looking down. I'd seriously rather learn how to fly by myself.

Then again, the tryouts were tomorrow and I don't even know how to teach myself to fly when I've been avoiding it my whole life. A small crease appears in between my eyebrows as I stared blankly at Regulus who had a small smile on his face and his eyebrows raised.

"Fine," I said. "Fine, I'll let you teach me only because I'm going to win this bet of yours. No fucking way will I get in the team even if I'm the best flier out there."

"Well, alright then!" Regulus grinned. "Let's get started. Now, come closer. I'm not going to hurt you."

_"The Dark Lord will be pleased. Now, you've got fellow students to convince to join you."_

The voice of the Slytherin echoed in my head. The other boy, Evan Rosier, was it? He mentioned the name Black. He couldn't possibly be talking about Sirius. The two boys hated each other and I don't think Sirius would ever join You-Know-Who. If he wasn't talking about Sirius then he must have been talking about Regulus. Did they already ask him? Did he say yes? I couldn't trust him.

"Seriously, Cassie, I'm not going to hurt you," he said with a light chuckle.

I frowned. Did he call me Cassie? He did call me Cassie. He called me by my name. It sounded odd, hearing it from someone who I never thought would actually use my first name to address me. The only people I heard saying my name was Florence and Alex Greengrass. Alex Greengrass was a Slytherin too but I have a weird connection to him. I know he'd never hurt me. The tone of Regulus' voice almost made me think the same about him. Almost.

Staying where I was, Regulus let out a huge sigh and started to walk towards me. I resisted the urge to turn around and run. That would just be plain rude.

I have to admit, I was terrified. Who knows what he may have learned from his Lord? I was in the Quidditch pitch with him and him alone. I can feel the sweat dripping down my cheeks. I prayed to Merlin, hoping he wouldn't see how I nervous I was.

"Swing your leg over this broom," he explained, holding out his broomstick.

Hands shaking, I reached out for it and did what I was told. What if this was a trap? Maybe instead of teaching me how to fly, he's leading me to my death.

_Shut up_, I told myself. Nobody in the right mind would do that here in Hogwarts, Death Eater or not.

I grip the broomstick tighter, biting my lip. I cant go up. I cant go up. I cant go up.

"Don't hold it that way," Regulus said softly, taking my hands and positioning them further away from each other. "This way, you can easily hold the broom still with your left hand while your right hand is raised. If your trying out for Beater, balance is key though I doubt you're trying out for Beater."

I shake my head. No way in hell would I tryout for Beater.

"Now, kicking off is the easiest part," he smirked. "Don't kick off going forward. Always upward. Just kick off the ground and float. If your direction is forward as you kick off, you'll end up landing on your face."

"I cant do it," I squeaked.

"You're just kicking off!"

"I cant! I seriously cannot stay five seconds in the air without barfing."

Then, he laughed. He fucking laughed. Dammit, I'm going to punch his stupid pretty face and rip his tongue out. He must have figured out what's so wrong about me now.

"You're afraid of heights!" he said, still laughing. "Is that why you don't know how to fly? Bloody hell, that's hilarious!"

"No, it's not!" I snapped. "I cant do it! I cant learn how to fly!"

"We made a deal, Cassie," he reminded me. "You're going to learn how to fly."

He walked over to me and swung his leg over the broomstick. He sat behind me and laid his hands over mine.

"What're you doing?" I croaked.

"I'm teaching you how to fly," he said simply.

Before I could thoroughly think about what he's doing, we're up in the air and I don't hold in the squeak that escaped my mouth. I shut my eyes tight, gripping the broom. I thought I would make the wood crack since I was gripping it so tightly. I bit my tongue to keep myself from screaming. I could feel the cool wind as it hit my face, making my hair go all over the place.

Down, up, down, up, down, up. I think I'm going to be sick.

"Cassie, open your eyes," Regulus muttered.

I repeatedly said no under my breath.

"You're never going to learn with your eyes closed," he said calmly.

Slowly, I open my eyes and I heard my heart thump louder. We were so up high. So, so, so up high. I take a peek at the bottom and I thought we were about thirty thousand feet in the air. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit but that's how it looks like when you're terrified of heights. I immediately shut my eyes again.

"Cassie, you've got to open your eyes," Regulus told me. "I swear to Merlin, flying would be much easier when you can actually see."

For the second time, I open my eyes and I manage to keep them open. I don't look down this time. Regulus was the mainly the one controlling the broom around the pitch. I could feel the way his hands changed the direction of our flying. Left, right, down, up. To be honest, flying was quite peaceful if I wasn't panicking in the inside and the outside.

"I'm letting go now. Just do what I did."

Before I could let his words sink in my head, he let go of my hands and another squeak escaped my mouth. I gripped the broom tighter and pushed it down making us fly downward, towards the ground. I squeak again and pull the broom up making us fly upward vertically. Panicking even more, I turn the broom to the right and were flying normally now except for the fact that we're sort of upside-down.

Regulus' hands return to their original place, on top of mine. He pulled the broom up and we did a loop before returning to our normal state. Our flying is once again going smoothly and I breathed heavily, still gripping the broom in the tightest way possible.

"Right, so you just have to relax," he said but sounding a bit shaky himself. "Loosen up a bit. Just turn left then right then up then down."

He repeated this four more times before deciding to let me take control of the broom again. I gulped when his hands let go of mine and I tried to relax my grip. I slowly turn to the left and to the right and push the broom down lightly, like he did. We get lower and lower to the ground before I pull the broom up and we're flying straight again.

"I'm doing it," I gushed. "I'm flying! I'm actually-"

"No, Cassie! We're getting too close to the grou-"

And we're both thrown off the broom as the tip of the wood hit the soil. I hit the ground, face first. I slide through the grass until I finally stop. Groaning, I lift myself up and spat out whatever my mouth caught in my fall. I turned to see the broom laying on the grass, unharmed. Regulus wasn't too far away, his hair messy and grass sticking to his face.

"You're a natural," he said with a small smile.

I couldn't help but let out a loud laugh.

"You're going to owe me a lot of money after that tryout tomorrow."

"Fat chance," I snorted.

Standing up, I brushed off the grass and dirt that stuck to my clothes.

"Thanks for the lesson," I said simply.

"I'll be watching tomorrow," he smirked.

I scowled and kicked his broomstick to him. I left him there without another word.

Entering the castle, I heard a sharp intake of breath to my left and a door closing with a snap. I immediately turn around. There was no one there and the closest door was the Captain's office. Quietly, I walk towards the door and reach for the handle. Without hesitating, I pulled the door open.

"Holy shit!"

A tall redhead stood before me and behind her blue-framed glasses, her brown eyes were wide and her mouth was agape. Her eyes shot to the direction of the Quidditch pitch and back to me.

It was Florence and she saw everything.

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><p><em>Florence? When did she come back? Cassie may just be as confused as you are but she does know one thing. Florence seeing what happened in the pitch was a very very bad thing.<em>

_"Gryffindors and Slytherins aren't exactly the best of friends." -Regulus Black, Live To Die, Chapter Seven, Awkward, Awkward, Everything Awkward_

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><p><strong>Hello, hello, my loves! Tell me what you think! Suggestions are more than welcome and big thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorite-ed and alerted this story.<strong>

**AG: Thanks for the review! OCs are the ones that I made :)**


	13. Spilled Secrets

**Spilled Secrets**

_Rule #8: Just take it and leave. Don't linger._

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><p>"You're screwed."<p>

It took about five seconds for those words to register inside my head. I'm screwed. I'm so screwed. I immediately block the door, keeping her inside. Her eyes shot to the window in the room but I pulled my wand out.

"Don't move," I said, pointing my wand at her.

She pulled her own wand out but I immediately disarmed her. I repeat my words and she stared at me, wide-eyed.

"You cant tell anyone," I continued. "No one can know."

Florence shook her head furiously. "I'm not keeping any of your secrets anymore," she said calmly. "But I never did keep any of your secrets, did I? Because the one secret you had, you didn't even tell me."

"I couldn't tell you," I croaked. "Florence, you have to understand-"

"Shut up!" she snapped. "I don't care about what you have to say." A mental grin appeared on her face, her eyes getting wider. "You're going to be the laughingstock of Hogwarts once I get out of here. Did you really think Regulus Black would have an interest in you?"

"It wasn't-"

"He's never going to fancy you, Cassie!" she said almost excitedly. "You have to be stupid to think that he'd actually return your feelings!"

"But I don't-"

"You've got a thing for Slytherins," she continued. "Also for boys who're younger than you."

I frowned.

"Oh, I've heard about Alex Greengrass. Sirius mentioned him a while ago when I was listening in their conversation. Getting a little too cozy with a twelve year old, are you not?"

"I'm not!" I exclaimed. "He's just a friend."

She snorted before sending me a glare. "Give me back my wand, Cassie," she demanded.

"Not until you promise not to tell anyone," I said.

"You should know your secrets will never last," she said coldly. "But fine. I wont tell."

"If you do tell someone about this, I'll tell Sirius you've been stalking him."

Her brown eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"I would," I said shakily. "I definitely would. So, you better keep your mouth shut."

"I cant believe you, Cassie," she hissed. "I never would have thought you, of all people, would do this to me."

"Think again, Flo," I replied.

"Any other secrets you need to share with me?" she said, tearing up. "Are you secretly a vampire? Do you currently have three boyfriends? Are you the number one most wanted criminal in Britain?"

I softened. She was still hurting and I felt extremely guilty about that. There's also the fact that I am keeping secrets from her right now. She doesn't know I live with James. She doesn't know that my whole family's dead. She doesn't know my encounter with Sirius when she was testing her disguises on me. There's so much things she doesn't know and seeing her hurting like this when she finds out one of my secrets, I almost want to tell her everything.

She gave me one last glare before snatching her wand out of my hand and pushing past me, leaving. I stayed in the Captain's office, standing numbly. There goes my chances of getting Florence to forgive me. I buried my face in my hands, refusing to cry. I've done enough of that. Crying isn't going to help.

Without thinking, I sit on the soft chair behind the desk. I examine the piles of parchment before me. I hesitantly take the parchment nearest to me and squint, reading the narrow handwriting.

_CHECK THE SECOND DRAWER NOW -S_

S? Could that S stand for Sirius? I remembered the letter he sent to his cousin, Bellatrix, who was supposedly marrying a man named… Lestringe? No, it was Lestrange. Yeah, Lestrange. Where did I hear that name before? It sounded awfully familiar.

My eyes darted towards the drawers under the table. I open the second one and I see assorted folders. Only one of them stands out. It was the one with a red slip sticking out. I wondered if this was what Sirius wanted James to see. I'm not the snooping type but I needed something to get Florence out of my mind. Still, questions about her kept popping up. When did she get here? Did she come back after I left the tower? Did she come back this morning but avoided me so I wouldn't know she came back?

_Stop it_, I told myself. _Don't think about her or you'll start bawling your eyes out again._

Glancing at the closed door, I took the folder out of the drawer. It was thinner than the other folders. I flip it open and I furrowed my eyebrows as I read the title.

**SLYTHERIN STRATEGIES AND PLANS**

I gasped. No. They cant be doing this. My eyes scan the list of complicated strategies the Slytheirn Quidditch team had planned out for the year. Each one was described explicitly. How did they get this kind of information?

This was cheating.

"What are you doing?"

I was so surprised that I slid out of the chair and fell to the floor with a thud. I immediately stand up and stare at the messy haired boy with wide eyes.

"You're not supposed to be here!" he hissed, slamming the door shut behind him.

I wondered how he came in without me hearing the door open. I must have been too into what I was reading that I ignored the sound. I have to admit. I'm terrified. The Marauders have put their pranking on hiatus. Well, at least their pranks on me. I'm terrified at the fact that they might start again. No matter how much I hate them, I haven't got the courage to tell them to stop.

"You're cheating," I said quietly, my eyes darting towards the open folder on the desk.

"It's not cheating," he snapped. "It's analyzing your enemies."

"Yeah, it's cheating alright!" I shot back. "You're getting their strategies! You know what they're going to do in the future matches and you're definitely going to use this for your advantage. It's highly unfair, if you ask me."

"Well, I'm not asking you. Who give a shit about what you think?"

"This is unfair and dishonorable."

"_They've done the same to us, did you know that?_" he roared.

I was surprised at the volume of his voice. His blazing hazel eyes were boring into my green ones.

"I cant believe you'd stoop to their level," I said shakily.

"It's time they have a taste of their own medicine," he replied, breathing heavily.

"What happened to the supposed _noble Gryffindors_?"

"Fuck that. It's time to play dirty," he said viscously.

"No!" I nearly shouted. "Don't do it! This isn't right. What your doing isn't right."

"Rarely anything I do is right nowadays," he grumbled.

"James, please. You have to play this fair," I insisted.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "All the Slytherins do to win is cheat."

"And you think stooping to their level will help you guys win?" I whispered, sounding disgusted.

"If stooping to their level is what it takes to win, then I'll do it," he said determinedly.

"All you need to do is train," I told him. "Just practice. You've got better people than they do."

"Sucks that I've lost almost half of the better people."

"Don't do it, James," I said quietly. "You'll get caught. I'm pretty sure you will. Please, don't."

His eyes were still gazing intently at mine. He finally broke our stare when he turns to look out the window and at the Quidditch pitch. I immediately stiffen and notices this. He raises his eyebrows at me and leans on the door behind him, lifting both his hands up to fix his eyeglasses before crossing his arms over his chest.

"Black's a Death Eater, Hunter," he said calmly. "I wouldn't get too close to him."

My jaw dropped and my cheeks get warm. Did he see us? Was he spying on us like Florence was? Wait… Florence. She left a few minutes before James came in. What if she met him on her way out? I paled.

"It's funny how your only friend can turn on you just like that."

I wait for the anger to build up inside me but I'm surprised when it doesn't. I don't feel any kind of anger towards Florence at all. I'm simply scared at the fact that she might have told someone else besides James. Why wasn't I mad at her? I should be. I should be fantasizing of me snapping her neck right now. But I wasn't.

I opened my mouth to tell James that she's been stalking him and Sirius for years but I cant bring myself to say it. I closed my mouth and gulped. I couldn't say it. I told Florence I would tell Sirius and James about her stalking them if she told anyone about me and Regulus. Why wasn't I saying it now?

"You're an odd girl, Hunter," James said matter-of-factly. "Most would go for Sirius, the rebellious and charming Black. Instead, you go for his dark, secretive clone."

"I'm not going for anyone," I said. "He was just teaching me how to fly, that's all."

His eyebrows were so high, they had reached his hairline.

"That's interesting."

His hazel eyes pierced my green ones. He looked almost… disapproving.

"I can hang out with anyone I want," I said coldly.

"Oh, I didn't say you couldn't hang out with him," he replied calmly. "I'm just trying to warn you. Regulus Black is a Slytherin. You know who he's friends with? Evan Rosier. Remember him?"

I paled at the reminder. A small smile tugged on his lips and his eyes stared at me with amusement.

"You still shouldn't do this," I snapped, desperately changing the subject.

"Last time I checked, I'm the captain of this team and what was that? Oh, yeah. I can do whatever the fuck I want with this team and what we're going to do. You don't like what I'm doing? Well, nobody asked for your opinion and I really couldn't care less about it."

"What kind of captain are you?" I spat. "Leading your team to its failure is something you, as captain, shouldn't do. They'll catch you. You're not a Slytherin. You're forgetting about the fact that they were sorted into that house because of their different personalities. They're manipulative and sneaky. And you wonder how they get away with all their cheating."

"Nobody is going to catch me, Hunter," he growled.

"I highly doubt that," I said. "Are you a Gryffindor?"

"Yes, I'm a bloody Gryffindor," he snapped.

"Then try acting like one."

I pick up one of the parchments from the open folder and crumpled it. I threw it at his face but he caught it before it hit, without even blinking. His eyes narrowed at me but I just glared at him back. I bid him good night before pushing past him and leaving his office.

* * *

><p>The moment I entered my dormitory, I froze. My other two roommates were sleeping soundlessly on their own beds. My third roommate was sitting up on her bed which was beside mine. She hugged her knees to her chest as she stared blankly at the opposite wall. I willed myself to walk quietly to my own mattress, not wanting her to wake up from her trance.<p>

Unfortunately, the second I sat on my bed, her head whipped to her right and her brown eyes bored into mine. I stiffened and stared back. None of us broke eye contact. The look in her eyes is unreadable. It's clouded with tears but she wouldn't let them fall. They don't look suspiciously at me nor are they narrowed.

I noticed that she's still wearing the same clothes she was in minutes ago in the Captain's office.

"I was really angry," she said quietly, her voice shaking. "I was just so so angry."

I don't reply. She continues to stare at me with the unreadable look in her eyes. Finally, she looked away and started to stare at the wall agains.

"I deserved to know, Cassie," she continued. "I needed to know that bit of information from you."

"Florence, I'm really-"

"I don't even want to forgive you for that," she interrupts.

No words could come out of my mouth. I had no idea what to say. She shouldn't, though. She should never forgive me for that. Never in my life did I ever dream of her turning on me but here she was, telling me that she'd never forgive me. I don't want any of it to be real but life is unfair. It always is

"Then don't," I finally said." Don't forgive me."

"But here I am," Florence said, completely ignoring what I just said. "Here I am, sitting on my bed and talking to you. I was waiting until you got back. It just doesn't make any sense. I knew you were going to strangle me when you got back because I told James. But you came in and you did nothing. Why?"

"I would never do that to you."

"Just slap me!" she croaked, tears falling from her eyes. "Just do it! I don't care! I'm a fucking horrible person, I get that! Everything about my life is just falling apart and I just feel the need to bitch out once in a while."

She was sobbing. Before I could think of what I was doing, I get off my bed and sit next to her on hers. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pushed her head on me. I could feel her tears soaking my t-shirt but I don't care.

"Why am I acting like this, Cassie?" she asked. "He wasn't the best dad in the world. Hell, I had enough of him and mum. But now that he's gone, I feel like my whole world's just falling apart. And the fact that it was your dad who did this to him doesn't exactly help."

A lump in my throat formed and my eyes welled up with tears. I refused to cry and I tightened my hold on Florence.

"I've been so bitter for the past few days," she continued. "My sister keeps trying to talk to me and all I do is push her away. This is the first time I've cried since my mum told me he's gone. I haven't seen her since! She doesn't even fucking visit once. I shouldn't have told James about you and Regulus. I was such a bitch and I'm just so sorry. I don't want to say it but I'm sorry! I'm really really really sorry!

"You need to say sorry too. Sorry for not telling me. I don't want to forgive you. I don't ever want to forgive you. But for some reason, I still am."

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm so sorry."

She lifted her tearstained face and her red eyes stared at me.

"What else are you hiding, Cassie?" she asked quietly.

Florence looked so broken and sad. Did I look like this when my whole family died? Did I look like this when my father was arrested? I couldn't not tell her. I had to tell her. She poured her heart out to me the day we met. I don't think I know anyone else who can trust as easily as Florence.

"I live with James," I finally told her.

Her eyes widened but she doesn't say anything about it.

"What else?"

"I met Sirius when you were testing your disguises on me," I said without hesitation. "He has no idea it was me he was talking to. My whole family is dead. I have no one left except for my father who's currently out there, killing people."

Florence flinched and I said a quiet apology.

Silence took over and Florence still doesn't say anything. I desperately want to know what she thought about everything I just said. Then I remembered, I still have one more secret to reveal. I opened my mouth to say it but I immediately close it after a second.

I couldn't tell her. Why couldn't I tell her? I opened my mouth again but again, I closed it after.

"I'm not going to tell anyone," she whispered. "You have to trust me again. Just like I have to trust you."

Sighing, I closed my eyes and opened my mouth. "I used to fancy James," I said quietly, my voice higher than usual.

Suddenly, she was out of my arms. I immediately opened my eyes to see where she'd gone but she was right there, sitting up and staring down at me with wide eyes.

"You fancy James?" she whispered urgently.

"I _fancied_ him," I corrected her.

She took her pillow and started to hit me with it. I tried to cover myself with my hands but it didn't really work.

"How can you not tell me that?" she nearly shouted.

I had to shush her so we wouldn't wake our roommates.

"How can you only react violently to that when I just told you I lived with him and I talked to Sirius when he didn't even know it was me?" I whispered to her, annoyed.

"Shit!" she exclaimed.

I covered her mouth with my hand but she slapped it off.

"You live with him!" she squealed. "You fucking live with James Potter! Holy shit, this is so sweet!"

"It isn't sweet, Flo," I growled. "I have to share a room with him."

I had to cover her mouth again before she could scream.

"You're going to wake everyone up, Flo!" I warned her.

When I finally drew my hand back, she bounced joyfully on her bed. I haven't seen her this happy since… forever. I smiled fondly at her. I didn't know how much I missed her radiant smile until that moment.

"It was a punishment," I told her, still smiling. "Mrs. Potter thought us sharing a room would stop our arguing."

"Merlin, Cassie!" she gushed, grinning. "If only James wasn't in love with Lily Evans."

"It's not going to happen, Flo," I laughed. "James and I will never be together."

"But you like him!"

"I did," I admitted. "But not anymore. I've hated his guts ever since he told everyone who my dad is."

She pouted before letting out a huge yawn. I get off her bed and lay back on mine.

"It's late," I said. "We really should get back to sleep."

"I'm really sorry, Cassie," Florence whispered sadly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I whispered back, drifting off to sleep.

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><p><em>With Florence back on her side, maybe Cassie's fifth year wont be so bad. But of course, there's still the mysteries Cassie and Florence need to uncover and they don't know what to expect.<em>

_"I've been trying follow him around to get tiny details. Like if he's dating anyone or if he's going home for Christmas…" -Florence Flanagan, Live To Die, Chapter Two, A Difficult Favor_

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><p><strong>Short but I needed this to be in one chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed, favorite-ed and alerted recently!<strong>

**Please tell me what you think! Suggestions are more than welcome too. What do you think of my OCs? The plot? Is it too fast or slow?**

**AG: Thanks so much for that! I really appreciate your review and I'm glad you like my OCs.**


	14. Quidditch For Gold

**Quidditch For Gold**

_Rule #9: Listen closely. You may only hear this information once._

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><p>The Marauders were weirdly in a good mood the next day. They were happy and excited. Too happy and excited for Florence's liking. Her brown eyes narrowed at them as they talked loudly and cheered every five seconds. The four boys were walking down the grand staircase towards the entrance hall. Florence and I were just about to enter the Great Hall until we heard overly cheerful laughs and cheers.<p>

The boys reached the bottom step and Florence dragged me to a dark hall, her eyes still narrowed.

"Today is just a brilliant day, isn't it, _Prongs_?" Sirius said loudly, emphasizing the word 'Prongs'.

"Who the hell is Prongs?" I whispered.

Florence's hand clamped over my mouth and she gave me a pointed look. She turned her head towards the Marauders again.

"Oh, _Padfoot_," James said, emphasizing the word 'Padfoot'. "It is such a brilliant day! Do you have any idea why? 'Cause I've got no clue!"

"What about you, _Wormtail_," Sirius directed his attention towards Peter who was grinning like a mad man.

"Same with Prongs, Padfoot," he replied cheerfully. "Moony?"

Remus rolled his eyes, smiling lightly at his mates. "I swear to Merlin, if you continue doing that, someone'll realize what we're doing," he said quietly.

"No one's here, Moony," James said, putting his arm around Remus' shoulders.

"You'll never know," Remus replied, shaking James' arm off.

The four boys disappeared in the Great Hall and Florence turned back to me, a suspicious look in her eyes.

"They're up to something," she muttered.

"You think?" I snorted but I immediately closed my mouth after she sent me a glare.

"They've got nicknames now," she continued. "I always knew Moony was Remus' nickname but these… I've never heard them in my entire life."

"There was Prongs, was it?" I said. "That's James, I reckon. Then I think I heard something like Pudfoot-"

"Padfoot," Florence corrected me.

"Yeah, that," I agreed. "I reckon that's Sirius and the last was… er… It started with a-"

"Wormtail," Florence interrupted once again. "That's the name. That's Peter's. There's got to be a meaning behind all these names."

"Flo, what if it's not really impor-"

"They're hiding it from everyone, Cassie. Didn't you hear what Remus said? There's something going on. There's something behind all those weird nicknames."

"I really think we should take a break with the stalking, Flo," I mumbled. "I mean, we're in fifth year! O.W.L.s, remember?"

Florence cursed repetitively under her breath and made her way towards the Great Hall. I rolled my eyes and followed her in.

Chatters filled my ears as I walked my way to an empty part of the Gryffindor table. I sat beside Florence and piled my plate with pancakes and poured some syrup. Florence was eating quite slow which was understandable since her narrowed eyes were observing the Marauders who weren't too far from us. They were laughing at something James had just said. Their laugh was loud and just too cheerful to be true.

Maybe Florence was right. Maybe there is something going on with them. I have to admit. I was quite curious. I forced myself to look away from them and returned my gaze back to my breakfast plate. Florence was still watching them and I had to elbow the side of her stomach to make her stop. She spent the rest of her breakfast muttering about how she'll find out before the year ends.

For some reason, I believed her completely. Florence is not someone you want to get curious. If she wants to know something, she'll do everything she can to know it. She'll definitely find out what the Marauders are doing.

The rest of the day passed smoothly. All too soon, Florence and I were leaving the Transfiguration classroom with piles of homework and unfinished notes. The teachers really were giving their all this year. I still needed to finish that essay for History of Magic (which I never really finish since I'm positive that Professor Binns never reads them all), master Summoning Charms for Professor Flitwick, research about Vanishing Spells for Professor McGonagall and finish that essay about Patronuses for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Whitley.

Apparently, Professor Gridley resigned last year because the Marauders were too much to handle for his old age. I wonder why that man even gave them a slip to borrow a book from the restricted section of the library.

Florence and I made our way to Gryffindor tower. My shoulder was aching because the bag I was carrying was about to split open if I didn't put it down soon. I carried about five thick books about the Goblin Wars, Vanishing Spells and Patronuses. It may be Friday but I've still got tons to do and these are due on Monday. Though I got decent scores from my exams last year, I cant afford to fail this years O.W.L.s. I can already feel the stress and I'm pretty sure I'll be growing white hairs soon.

I entered Gryffindor tower and I immediately see different students from different years dressed up in comfortable sports wear. Most of them were carrying broomsticks and talking to their friends. Many others were desperately talking to someone, asking if they could borrow their broomstick. Florence immediately walked up the steps to our dormitory but I stayed where I was, in front of the still open portrait of the Fat Lady with my mouth open.

Tryouts. I cannot believe I forgot about tryouts. I didn't even want to tryout. A small part in my head tells me to do it for the money. No. I cant tryout now. I have loads of work to do. Trying out for the Gryffindor team is the last thing I want to do right now. I would just embarrass myself. Making up my mind, I turned towards the girl's staircase but before I could take one step forward, I heard someone whisper my name.

Turning around, I was surprised to see who it was. The portrait of the Fat Lady was slowly closing but I held out my arm to stop it. I heard the Fat Lady scolding me for taking a boy from another house here and revealing the whereabouts of the tower but I couldn't care less about what she thought because the one person I was focusing at was flattening his back at the stone wall beside the opening and whispering for me to go there.

He looked like how he was yesterday. Still annoyingly taller than me; his hair still annoyingly perfect like his brother's usually is. I stepped out of the common room and closed the portrait of the Fat Lady behind me.

"Young lady, next time you send your boyfriend here-" the Fat Lady started.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said quickly. "Now, shut up."

She looked angry for a second before huffing and rolling her eyes. I did the same with my own and turned to Regulus.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered irritatedly.

"Well, you're trying out, are you not?" he replied with an annoying smirk on his face.

"No, I'm not."

He blinked, smile gone. "What?"

"I'm not trying out."

"Why not?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Because i don't want to," I said quietly.

Suddenly, the annoying smirk was back on his face. "Oh, we made a deal, Cassie."

"Well, I'm out!" I hissed.

"You're not out," he said calmly. "We made a deal. I teach you how to fly and you tryout. I give you the money if you don't get in."

"But I don't want to be part of this deal anymore," I whispered quickly.

"Why are you talking so quietly?" he whispered back, his stupid smirk getting bigger.

"_Urgh_, you are so annoying," I said frustratingly, taking one of the books I was holding and hit his arm.

"Yeah, you're definitely not a Beater," he commented. "If my arm was a Bludger, it wouldn't even move an inch towards your target."

I growled.

He raised his hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying, Cassie," he grinned. "Anyway, you're still on that deal. You're not backing out on this one."

"I don't even have a broomstick!" I snapped.

"Well, if you didn't know how to fly, why would you have one?" he chuckled. "Here, I brought mine. Now, use it well. If you bring it back in pieces, I'll be mentioning you to my captain when I tell him I wont be having a broomstick for our first game."

I didn't even notice his broomstick laid beside his foot until he mentioned it. He picked it up and handed it to me. With shaking fingers, I took it. It felt good that I'd be trying out with the broomstick that I first flew on.

_Shut up, Cassie_, I told myself. _You're not trying out._

"I'm not doing it," I said, holding out the broomstick to him.

"Oh, you're doing it," he said, grinning madly and his gray eyes filled with excitement. "We made a deal. You agreed with this. I think it's highly unfair for you to just back out the next day when I don't even agree with your decision."

I hit his arm with his own broomstick.

"I don't even know what I'm going to tryout for," I growled. "And aren't you supposed to sign up for this kind of thing?"

"Yes, you are," he said with a nod. "I'm pretty sure the list is still in there. I saw it when I was calling you. Just put your name under the position you want to tryout for and hope for the best."

"I don't know what to tryout for," I muttered nervously.

"I think you look good as a Seeker," he said thoughtfully. "You're small, fast and hopefully, you're able to see tiny golden balls."

"I think Chaser is more-"

"Cassie," Regulus sighed, running his hand through his hair.

Without thinking, I slapped his hand away from his hair resulting to him giving me a weird look.

"Sorry," I said quickly. "Just reminds me of-"

"James Potter?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"No!" I said loudly, cheeks burning.

"Merlin, Cassie If you react like this every time you're near that boy, I'd say you fancy him. But of course, that's not true is it?" he said, the annoying smirk back on his face and his eyebrows raising so high that it had reached his hairline.

"Shut up."

"What the fuck are _you_ doing here?"

I jumped and the books I was holding and Regulus' broomstick fell to the floor. The strap of my bag slid out of my shoulder and my bag dropped to the floor with a thud. All my parchment, books, quills and ink fell out. I turned to see Sirius glaring fiercely at Regulus who still had a smirk on his face as he stared calmly back.

Regulus bent down and started getting my stuff. I bent down and joined him. Sirius was still standing there looking murderous.

"Get that scowl off your face before someone sees you, brother," Regulus smirked. "It's highly distracting."

Suddenly, he was pushed to ground and Sirius was crouching down, his wand pointed at his brother's face. It was like seeing two of the same person. It felt weird. I only noticed how much the both of them looked so alike. Their personalities were way different though.

"Now, this is just a bit rude if you asked me," Regulus said, actually sounding disapproving.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius pressed on, his gray eyes blazing.

"Well, I was talking to Cassie before you so discourteously interrupted," Regulus pointed out.

I don't get how he can still act like that when Sirius is about to curse his arse into next week.

"Why were you talking to her then? Trying to get her to join your little Death Eater group? Trying to make her follow her daddy's footsteps?"

"I would _appreciate_ it if you got off me first before making me reply to these idiotic accusations."

"Stop being such a smart aleck," Sirius snapped.

"It was only a request. A simple no would have been more polite."

"Sirius, just get off him," I said, irritated. "He's harmless."

Sirius let out a loud laugh and stared coldly at me. "You think he's harmless?" he said in a dangerous whisper.

"Yes, I do think he's harmless!" I shot back. "Now, get off him."

His gray eyes pierced my green ones before turning to Regulus and finally getting off him. He stood up, his eyes still narrowed at his little brother. Regulus sat up, massaging his neck and started gathering my stuff again. Sirius sent us both one last glare before whispering the password to the Fat Lady and entering the common room.

"Thanks, but I could have handled him," Regulus said, standing up and handing me the books I had borrowed from the library.

I stood up as well, stuffing my bag with everything that spilled out and took my books from him.

"You were just getting him angrier," I muttered irritatedly.

Regulus rolled his eyes and picked up his broomstick. He handed it to me and I sighed.

"I really don't-"

"It was a deal, Cassie," he grinned. "Now, I wish you the best of British."

Sighing, I took the broomstick from him and he walked away. I stayed there, watching his back as he disappeared. Muttering angrily, I faced the Fat Lady.

"I'm not giving you boy advice, sweetie," she drawled, staring at her nails.

"I wasn't going to ask," I snapped, glaring at her before saying the password.

Rolling her eyes, she swung her portrait open and I entered the common room. The chatter of the Gryffindors filled my ears and I spotted the sign up sheet at the notice board. Sighing, I made my way there and checked the column for the Seekers. There were seven who signed up. I dropped everything I was holding on the table nearby and pulled out a quill and ink from my bag. After carefully writing my name, I sighed and stared at my competition.

The first on the list was a girl called Felicity Finnigan. Now, where did I hear that name before?

"All right, everyone?"

Shit. It's James.

The messy haired boy was strutting down the stairs from his dormitory. He was in his Gryffindor Quidditch uniform, holding his expensive broomstick at his side. Sirius was behind him, also in his uniform.

Murmurs filled the common room as everyone stared at James.

"Well, we're off to the pitch. Anyone late will get extra laps so come now."

Everyone briskly walked out of the common room. James ordered Sirius to follow them because he needed to get the list. The time when he spotted me right in front of the notice board was the time when I realized that him getting the list meant him going to me. Shit. I wasn't even dressed yet. Will he see my name and embarrass me to death on the field?

"Hunter?" James laughed, walking faster towards me and as he stopped, he looked from me to the list and back to me, a grin slowly forming on his face. "You're trying out."

"No," I squeaked.

"Yeah, you are!" he said, grinning. "You've got a quill with you! This is hilarious! What are you trying out for?" He checked the list again before grinning even wider. "Seeker! Oh, this better be good. Come on, Hunter."

"Wait, I'm still in my uniform!" I protested.

"I practice in my uniform all the time," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Now, come on. You'll get extra laps if you don't."

"But-"

"No buts! Get your arse to the pitch!" James called as he walked out of the common room.

Groaning, I pick up Regulus' broom and followed him out, leaving my books and bag on the table. Hopefully, Florence will see them and bring them up. I highly doubt that, though. Now, how am I supposed to tryout in my Hogwarts uniform? Muttering curses towards James, I walked through the halls of Hogwarts and to the Quidditch pitch.

There was quite a number of Gryffindors there and most of them had changed out of their uniform. At least they had enough sense to do that. Well, I should look at the bright side. I wont get in the team and I'll get money for the first Hogsmeade trip. Smiling slightly, I joined the rest of the group who's eyes were staring at James and his team.

Sirius was staring blankly at the other Gryffindor looking bored. Marlene McKinnon, the other Chaser, was glaring at James. I wondered briefly why James hasn't kicked her out yet. I thought the moment he wore that Captain's badge, he'd tell her she's off the team. The boy beside Marlene was tall, lean and awkward. I've seen him before in the past Quidditch matches as the Gryffindor Keeper. He's pretty good too.

Frank Longbottom. Yes, that's his name. His hand was softly ruffling his dark curly hair as he nervously stared those trying out, his bright eyes shifting from one student to another. I wondered what his year is. Probably sixth or seventh. I don't think I've seen him in my classes so he's most probably not in my year.

"Everyone will do two rounds around the pitch for me to see if you can actually fly," James said with a sneer. I think I saw him glance in my direction. Does he know I cant fly? My breathing grew faster as I stared down at Regulus' broom.

_Just remember what Regulus taught you, Cassie_, I told myself.

Before I could react, everyone was mounting their brooms and kicking off.

"Come on, Hunter!" James laughed. "You're falling behind!"

Panicking, I swung my leg over Regulus' broom and kicked off. I caught a glimpse of the surprised etched on James' face as I flew upwards. Did he think I couldn't do that? Grinning smugly, I tightened my hold on the wood and picked up on the speed. Soon, I was flying behind the pack, even overtaking a few Gryffindors.

My hair was all over the place and I cursed myself for not tying it up. I didn't even have a hair tie.

I didn't dare look down or I would definitely barf up my lunch. I followed the pack as they took a turn and I just tried to remember yesterday, when Regulus' hands were guiding me. Finally, the laps were done and I landed, sweating. I wasn't the first but thank Merlin I wasn't the last. James was eyeing me suspiciously as I wiped my sweat with the sleeve of my robes.

Didn't he know Regulus taught me? Florence told him, didn't she? Maybe she just told him I was with Regulus in the pitch. I refused to catch his eye. I simply watched the other Gryffindors who were still flying. When we were all on the ground, James had started to kick out a few people. Some protested, some raged, some cried and some simply looked disappointed and walked away without another word.

We were divided. I walked towards the others who were trying out for Seeker. There was only five of us left. A blue-eyed brunette was one of them, her hair tied up in a high ponytail and she wore a pair of comfortable shorts and a tank top. I recognized her immediately. She's my other roommate. She's Mary Macdonald's friend. I guess I heard her name once or twice but I've never talked to her before. She's Felicity Finnigan. Her last name sounded familiar too.

The Seekers were asked to stand aside as James and Marlene handled the Chasers first. They were grouped into threes as James called out the names from his list. They were supposed to pass the Quaffle to each other and each of them have their turn to shoot as Sirius whacks Bludgers towards them. The first group was dreadful. The second, not bad. The last group looked alright but one of them had nearly fallen out of his broom because he was afraid the Bludger would hit him and turned upside-down.

By the end of their tryouts, a blonde fourth year boy called Damian Grace got in the team. Next was the Beaters. This time, James grouped them into twos (one was left out so he gets to work with Sirius). There were exceptionally good Gryffindors who could whack a Bludger with good aim but there were also those who could fly well but cant even carry the Beater's bat. James sent the two second years back in the castle.

James seemed to be having a hard time choosing between a short but broad shouldered girl and a tall muscular seventh year boy. Surprisingly, he went for the girl. All too soon, he turned to us Seekers.

Fuck. I think I'm going to be sick.

"Hello, Seekers," James said with a grin on his face. He looked like a madman. "Let's get started, shall we?"

I gulped when his hazel eyes focused on me.

"What you'll do is pretty simple," he continued. "I'll release the Snitch and I'll be giving you all five chances to catch it. The one who catches it the most will get the spot. Once the Snitch is released, I'll give it ten seconds to fly around. Then you can kick off. If you catch the Snitch while your up in the air, give it ten seconds before chasing after it again. I'll tell you when the ten seconds is over."

He pulled out the struggling Snitch from his pocket and my eyes never left it.

"Good luck," he said quietly before finally releasing it from his grip.

I thought it would be easy to just follow it with your eyes but it was harder than I expected. The fucking ball was faster than I thought it was. By the time I turned my head to see where it had gone, it disappeared. I looked wildly around the sky, not even hearing James' signal that the ten seconds were over.

"Hunter, _what are you doing_?"

That snapped me back to reality. I swung my leg over my broomstick and made sure that I was sitting on my skirt so it wouldn't fly up when I'm in the air. I kicked off, still looking around for it. I decided to stay up in one place instead of flying around. I reckon I'd have smaller chances of finding it when I'm flying around like that.

Unfortunately for me, I made the mistake of looking down. Then I realized how high up I was. My heart beat higher up my chest and I thought I'd be barfing it out any second now. I was well aware that I was completely pale and I might have turned green. The ground seemed like it was getting farther, the longer I stared at it. My grip on Regulus' broomstick was stiffer than I had ever gripped something before. My knuckles had lost all color and I felt the nervous butterflies in my stomach going haywire.

I was well aware of the fact that Felicity had just caught the Snitch twice but I didn't let it get to me. All that I wanted was for this to end and for her to get in the team and for me to finally get down.

"Cassie!"

My head immediately snapped up at the voice. I didn't know I was so near the stands before I saw Regulus only a few meters down below. Before he could say anything else, my eye caught a glimpse of gold. My head spun to the same place where I was staring down at in fear. There it was. The Golden Snitch. It was hovering near the goalposts and not too far from the ground. Without thinking, I flattened my chest on the broomstick and I flew towards it, feeling the adrenaline. I don't know how fast I was going but everything around me was a blur.

The Snitch suddenly moved lower towards the ground.

"Faster!" I told the broom.

I could feel the grin forming on my face as I got nearer. It was still flying downwards. I stretched my right arm out. Finally, when the ground was literally just about four feet away, I enclosed the Snitch in my hand and I pulled my broom up with all my might. I successfully positioned the broomstick forward but I was already too close to the ground. The tip of my feet hit the soil and I was forcefully thrown off the broom. My left hand let go of the handle and I collided with the grass, face first. My whole body was aching but I was pretty sure I had no injuries except for a few minor bruises.

"Cassie! _Cassie_!"

I could vaguely hear my name being called. Groaning, I rolled over to my side and squinted to see my outstretched arm laying limp on the ground. I felt a tiny flutter in my hand and I slightly opened it to see the Golden Snitch struggling to stretch its wings and fly away.

"Is she all right? Oh my Merlin, she needs to go to the Hospital Wing! Shit, shit, what if she's dying?"

Well, that brought me back to my senses. I fully opened my eyes and sat up, groaning softly. There were people standing around me and I blinked rapidly, making everything less blurry. Florence was crouching beside me, tears filling her eyes with her hand clamped over her mouth.

"I'm not dying, you idiot," I muttered, massaging my head.

"She's okay!" Florence cheered, giving me a hug and hurting me in several places.

"Ah! Flo, yeah, everything hurts right now so-"

"Right, sorry," she mumbled before sending me a glare. "You didn't tell me you were trying-"

"We'll deal with that later, Flo. You do know I'm still in tryouts," I told her with a roll of my eyes.

I turned my attention towards the other people surrounding me. There was James and his team, including Damien and Felicity.

"That was a great catch," James said.

I blinked. "Thanks, I guess," I said quietly.

"Unfortunately," he said, looking uncomfortable. "You only caught the Snitch once and Finnigan here caught it four times."

"That's fine, really," I said, smiling. "It's all right. I just wanted to try it out."

"Oh, I didn't say you aren't on the team," he continued, eyebrows raised. "I'll be willing to put you in as our reserve Seeker. So if Finnigan's injured or something, you'll take her place. I think with a bit of training, you'll be a decent Seeker."

This was unbelievable. Reserve Seeker? That was still on the team! I lay back down on the grass, eyes wide.

Damn you, Regulus.

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><p><em>Cassie on the Quidditch team? Oh, this better be good. When will she be able to actually play? Cassie definitely hopes Felicity never gets injured… Of course, anyone can get injured. Including her.<em>

_"You better get ready James Potter because you're going to need a new Beater, a new Seeker and a _new_ Chaser this year." -Denise Smith, Live To Die, Chapter Twelve, Flying Problems_

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><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Feel free to tell me in a review! Suggestions are more than welcome and I love everyone who review, favorite-ed and alerted my story! I read and see every single one of them. :)<strong>_  
><em>

**This chapter is longer than the rest and I updated a bit faster than usual. Hope you like it.**

**Quick question. What do you think of Regulus? He all right? Bad?**


	15. After Practice Surprises

**After Practice Surprises**

_Rule #10: Remember where you are._

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><p><strong>JAMES<strong>

"Look, I have to admit, it was a pretty good catch," I said for the fifth time to Sirius who wouldn't shut up.

"Prongs, come on. She cant possibly-"

"She's already on the team so you really better suck it up and get used to her," I snapped.

Sirius scowled and turned his attention back to Professor Whitley who was drawling about defensive magic that we were going to learn next week. I swear to Merlin, this lady could give Professor Binns a run for his money in the _most sleep-worthy voice_ category.

Lily Evans, who's seated in front of me (trust me, she chose her seat), looked back and sent me a murderous look. That's her saying _shut up_ without speaking. Snickering silently, I look around the classroom and my eyes land on another redhead. What was her name again? I think I heard Hunter mention her before. She was at the tryouts too. Big drama queen, she was. She's not bad looking though. Kind of reminds me of Evans….

Well, now that I'm actually looking at her closely for the first time, she doesn't look like Evans at all. Sure, she's got red hair but it's longer, straighter and not the same shade. Her eyes are bigger too and they're brown. She's staring blankly at the back of Sirius' head, a small smile on her face. I could feel a grin forming on mine.

Pulling out some parchment from my bag, I dipped my quill in my bottle of ink and wrote.

_Hey Padfoot, look to your right. -J_

I slide the parchment towards him and he read it, eyebrows furrowed. He narrowed his eyes at me before looking right and his eyes met the redhead's. I snickered when her brown eyes widened and hastily turned her attention to the Professor. Sirius slid the parchment back to me.

**Fuck you. -S**

Before I could write anything else, the parchment was ripped out of my hands by Remus…

You two better shut up and listen! -R

_**What are you two laughing about? -P**_

**It was Prongs. -S**

_See the redhead over there? -J_

_**Yeah, that's Florence Flanagan. She's in my Divination class. -P**_

Seriously, guys. Professor's really talking about something important. -R

**Yeah, I reckon we should listen. -S**

_Shut up, Moony. We should give her a number. -J_

We shouldn't. -R

**_I'd give her a nine. -P_**

_A nine? Seeriously, Wormtail? … Get it? Seer-iously. Because she's in Wormtail's Divination class... I'm hilarious. -J_

**Your jokes suck fuck. -S**

That wasn't very funny, Prongs. -R

_Well, shit. Just give her a fucking number. -J_

**If you want a number so bad, zero. -S**

_Oh, come on, Padfoot. Now, I think that's just a bit harsh. -J_

Professor's talking about Patronuses, guys. -R

**_She's actually really pretty. -P_**

**Please, I swear to Merlin, let's just stop. -S**

_Paddy, you're no fun. -J_

You didn't even give her a number, James! Actually, just don't. Professor's looking this way. -R

_I'd give her a seven. -J_

_**No way! -P**_

Don't you dimwits have eyes? Professor Whitley is

"What is this?" Professor Whitley said, ripping the parchment out of Remus' hands.

"Piece of parchment," I grinned.

Professor Whitley raised her eyebrows at me, her dark eyes narrowing. I grinned even wider and held my palm up.

"I'd like my parchment back, Professor," I said calmly.

She scowled and slammed the parchment in front of me. I thanked her and slipped the parchment in the pocket of my trousers. Professor Whitley gave me one last glare before stalking back towards the front of the class. I could see Remus narrowing his eyes at me but I pretend to not notice and turn my attention towards the ongoing lesson.

Professor Whitley used to be an Auror but she was sacked by my dad. She hates him and hates me too but she knows our family. If she does anything to me, she'll have to face dad and mum and they're two people you do not want to face when angry. Who knows what they'd do…

The rest of the class was lousy and boring since Remus refused to start passing notes again. By the end of the class, Professor Whitley's mood didn't improve since she got my parchment and the four of us got extra homework. Apparently, we didn't listen very well so we get an extra foot for the length of our essays. Remus ignored me at lunch which was weird because I thought he'd be the kind of guy who would be jumping with joy when there's more homework.

After our last class, Remus suggested we all go to the library and start with the tons of homework the the demon teachers had laid on our backs. He ended up taking only Peter with him because today, Sirius and I have Quidditch practice. It's our first practice as a team. I have to admit. I'm actually pretty excited.

I thank Merlin that Damian Grace attended the tryouts last week because the kid's got talent. If only there were two of him, then I'd be able to get McKinnon's arse off the team. He was thin and lanky with his straight dark hair and big innocent brown eyes. Though he's not the best in dodging Bludgers, he passes smoothly and can definitely shoot. Now, I knew our new Beater would get the spot hands down, the moment I read her name on the list.

Jenna Goldstein. Recognize the name? Of course, she's the one and only third year sister of Justin Goldstein. Broad-shouldered with a tough aura around her, she's very friendly with her soft and quiet voice. Apparently, she does a lot of swimming at home and Justin taught her Quidditch during her free time. The girl's a natural. Problem is, she's got blonde hair. What does a guy have to do to get someone who isn't blonde on the team? I really don't need any more reminders of Denise Smith.

Our seeker is a brunette called Felicity. She's a perky and disgustingly sweet fifth year who knows all the gossip going around the school. She may sicken me with her overly wide eyes and nasal voice but she wowed me by catching the Snitch four out of five times in spectacular ways. Funny thing is, she's not our only Seeker.

Reserve Seeker, Cassie Hunter. Yet again, another blonde. That girl is just full of surprises. Who knew she could fly on a broom? The bloody girl looks like she would never want to be a foot away from the ground. I remember seeing the horrified look on her face while she was in the air, staring down at the ground as though it was going to eat her up. Sirius was staring at her wide-eyed because she looked like she was about to faint and fall.

_"We have to get her down," Sirius had said shakily, swinging his leg over her broomstick. _

I held out my arm and stopped him from flying after her because I just spotted the Snitch hovering only a few feet from the ground near the goalposts. I knew Hunter saw it because her head whipped around and her green eyes widened. One second, she was frozen up in the sky looking like she was about to barf out her innards and the next, she was flying downwards, as fast as lightning.

It was a brilliant catch, I have to say that. I didn't expect that from her, of all people. With a bit of training, I could turn her into a exceptional Seeker. Though, I know it'll take a lot of work.

"Get up, Prongs. You're supposed to be there before everyone else, you know."

Sirius' voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I was laying down on my bed, the sun setting behind the window that wasn't too far. I was throwing my Quaffle up in the air and catching it before it hit my chest. I repeated this numerous times, absentmindedly.

Of course, Padfoot was right. I really needed to get ready. Getting up with a groan, my hand shot up to my hair and ruffled it slowly. Sirius was already in most of his training gear, only missing his gloves which he was finding under his bed at the moment.

Soon enough, we were out of Gryffindor tower and on our way to the Quidditch pitch, broomsticks in hand. McKinnon and Frank were already there when we arrived. It was still five minutes to the actual time of the start of training but a flash of annoyance came over me when I saw that we weren't complete yet. We needed to start as soon as possible if we wanted to beat the filthy Slytherins.

The tiny thought of the Slytherin Quidditch team reminded me of my argument with the one and only, Cassie Hunter in my office. Annoyance filled me again when I remembered she was going through my files. I reminded myself to lock the office next time. I still didn't make my decision yet, though. Sirius takes every opportunity to remind me that the Slytherins have done the same thing to us every year and it's time for us to get revenge. Nobody's ever read those files thoroughly. Not even Sirius. All he did was break in the Slytherin Captain, Macabbe's office and duplicated the folder which contained their plans and strategies for the year.

Just for a few minutes, I'd know everything that they're about to do this year. A week ago, I wouldn't have hesitated. Now, unfortunately, I'm having doubts. Slytherins are Slytherins. They're got different traits and personalities. They're sly and manipulative. Hunter's voice filled my head.

_"You're not a Slytherin. You're forgetting about the fact that they were sorted into that house because of their different personalities. They're manipulative and sneaky. And you wonder how they get away with all their cheating."_

As much as I hate to admit it, she was right.

"Hey, Prongs. There's Finnigan and Hunter," Sirius said to my left.

Felicity Finnigan confidently walks towards us, her head held up high with her broomstick in hand. Hunter is walking behind her looking awkward in her shorts and baggy t-shirt. She was holding a broomstick in her hand and I recognized it as the one she used during tryouts. I frowned and wondered why I never saw that broomstick in the Manor. Is that even hers?

I shook my head, clearing it of all my thoughts. I needed to focus on Quidditch and Quidditch only.

"Well, hello then," I drawled, clasping my hands around my head and raising my eyebrows at the new members of my team. "Today's the first day of training for the year so I suggest we immediately get into actual training. But before that, five rounds around the pitch and after that, five rounds flying around the pitch."

"Five rounds?" McKinnon complained. "Justin only made us do two!"

"Well, you should have known that with me captain, everything will be much harder," I said determinedly. "I plan to win this year and I don't give two fucks if you end up in the Hospital Wing everyday this year from doing a bunch of rounds. You want to be in this team? Then you do what I say. I'll gladly let you, any of you, walk out of this pitch right now and never come back. If you didn't expect this and you think it's too much for you, then I suggest you get the fuck out of here."

None of them left. Damian Grace was staring at me with a small smile on his face and his eyes filled with determination. I thought I saw Felicity Finnigan glance at the entrance to the castle but her gaze returned to me and she didn't move. McKinnon rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Frank stayed put and I expected him to. Hunter was biting her lip and I was pretty sure she was going to leave but she let out a heavy sigh and her shoulders sagged. Like McKinnon, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me for the next set of instructions.

Smiling proudly at them all, I picked up my broomstick which laid beside my feet on the grass.

"Put your brooms down and start running," I said.

Sirius sent me a you're-crazy-but-I'll run-anyway-because-you're captain look before joining the others. Hunter slowly set her broomstick down and turned to jog.

"Hold up, Hunter," I called before she could start.

Her green eyes turned to me, a small crease appearing in between her eyebrows.

"This training's for the actual members of the team. Those who'll be playing this November. I cant guarantee that you wont be playing in the first game this season but you have little to no chances of doing so. I'm going to do everything that I can to keep my players away from getting themselves harmed by the Slytherins and that includes Finnigan."

She nodded and I walked towards her, broomstick still in hand.

"What you'll be doing while we're training is practicing your flying," I continued.

"I can fly just fine, thanks," she grumbled.

"No, you definitely cant _fly just fine,_" I laughed. "You think I wouldn't notice? I notice everything about my players and I'm pretty sure you cant stand yourself staying up on a broomstick, above the ground."

Her cheeks reddened and she sent me a glare.

"What you're going to do is fly just above the ground," I instructed. "Don't go too high now. Just a few feet above the ground. Now, you can go higher when you feel comfortable and higher and higher and higher. You're going to have to get used to flying now that you're in the team."

"Since you're all set with your plan of not getting anyone hurt, that means I'm most probably not going to be playing this year, right?" she said, sounding hopeful.

"Anyone can get injured, Hunter," I said with a small smile. "Now, start without that flying. Just go around the pitch, slowly. Only go faster when you're definitely comfortable."

Hunter nodded and hopped on her broom. I turned my attention back towards the rest of my team. Sirius was jogging ahead of the others, McKinnon following closely behind him. When they finally finished all their rounds, including the flying, they landed back on the ground, sweating like hell. Felicity was the last to land. I was surprised to see that she actually finished all her rounds.

Practice was a blur after that. McKinnon and I… Well, mostly just me…. I taught Damian our moves and strategies as Chasers. We shot through the goalposts as Frank saved most of them. Jenna Goldstein already knew most of the Beater's moves because her brother taught her everything. Sirius was glad he didn't have to go through teaching her everything so they practiced in the air with no trouble. Felicity was going around the pitch, catching the Snitch and letting it go before catching it again in a matter of seconds. Hunter was already more than just a few feet in the air and I would catch her closing her eyes looking nauseous a few times.

By the time I ended practice, it was already eight thirty in the evening and we could only pray that there was still dinner in the Great Hall. I took a bath as quickly as possible and pulled on a turquoise v-neck with a pair of shorts and sneakers. Sirius, who took frustratingly slow in front of the mirror, and I left the locker rooms last and we bolted to the Great Hall.

Cursing silently, I remembered that I left my broomstick in the locker rooms. I told Sirius to go on without me and I ran back. Before I entered the locker room, I caught a glimpse of someone flying outside in the pitch. Moving slowly, I walked outside to see who it was.

The curly blonde hair that was all over her face. The terrified but somehow determined look. The white knuckles that gripped the broom so tightly that I was afraid it might snap. Why did I put Cassie Hunter on the team again?

I walked back inside the locker room and grabbed my broomstick. I swung my leg over it and zoomed out to the pitch. Problem was, I didn't get there.

Voices filled my ears before I could fly out. I abruptly stopped flying and for the untrained fliers, they would probably be forced out of their broomstick. Lucky for me, I know how to handle stopping like this. I flatten my back on the wall, listening intently.

"Do I have to pay you?" a voice whom I recognized as Hunter's said.

"I didn't say you had to," another voice, which was vaguely familiar, replied.

"So I don't?"

"Nope."

"That's fine with me. I haven't got that kind of money anyway. Until when can I borrow your broom?" Hunter asked.

Borrow who's broom?

"I've got practice tomorrow, after school," the other voice said thoughtfully. "So, you can use it in the morning."

"Are you sure?" Hunter said uncomfortably. "I mean, it's yours and I don't have to use it if you-"

"It's fine, Cassie," the other laughed. "It really is. Anyway, I'll get you one for Christmas or your birthday."

"No!" Hunter exclaimed. "You cant do that! Do you know how expensive broomsticks are?"

"Oh, I know how expensive they are and I really don't care. Money isn't exactly a problem for me."

"Why are you planning on doing that anyway?"

"Because you cant exactly use my broomstick all the time," the other voice said with a chuckle. "What if you suddenly have to play versus the Slytherins."

"Then we'd never win," Hunter muttered. "You're a brilliant Seeker. I'd never be able to catch the Snitch before you."

Slytherin. Seeker. Who was the Slytherin Seeker? My eyes widened when I realized who exactly Cassie Hunter was talking to. Regulus Black. Sirius' brother and his biggest enemy. What is she doing, talking to a Slytherin? She's insane! Did Black really lend her his broomstick? Why would he do that?

"With a bit of training, I'm sure you'll be at my level in no time," Black said.

"You're a git," Hunter replied.

Black laughed. "You know, I would have liked a sister."

"Yes, and I would liked a brother," Hunter said. "But that's never going to happen, is it?"

"With your dad with the Dark Lord and your mum's who knows where, I don't think that's going to happen either," Black mumbled.

"My mum is dead," Hunter said sadly.

I gasped silently.

"Shit," Black said. "Ah, shit. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Really, Regulus, it's fine."

"I am such a bastard," he said. I held back a snort. "You know, you're the closest I've got to a sister. You're like the sibling that I never had."

Hunter laughed. "You have Sirius, you know."

"Yeah, but he's not exactly around. I'd trade him for you as a sibling any day."

"I have to get back," Hunter said. "Hopefully, the Great Hall's still got some food."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

I let all of this sink in. Hunter's friends with Regulus Black. Well, they might be closer than that. Don't tell me they're best friends! What happened to the redhead? That girl told me she was speaking with Black but I didn't know they were really close. Siblings, huh? I wonder how Sirius would react to this. Would I even tell him about this? I have to. He's got to know.

I should have remembered that I was still in the hall on the locker rooms with leads to the entrance of the castle. Thank Merlin Black decided to enter the castle using the other entrance at the other side of the pitch because I really don't need both of them bumping into me.

Hunter fell to the floor while I stared down at her, wide-eyed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes filled with panic.

"I left my broom in the locker room," I said calmly.

"Oh," she said lamely. "Right. Well, I've got to go."

"On your way to meet up with another one of your Slytherin friends?" I asked with a sneer.

Her face paled and I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Sod off," she spat.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you fa-"

"Fuck you," she snapped. "You don't know anything!"

"He's a Death Eater, Hunter." I said.

"You don't know him!"

"I know his brother and I've heard all about him. You cant say you know more about Regulus Black than Sirius does. You two may be best friends but that doesn't matter anymore because Sirius is his fucking brother! He's lived with him for as long as he can remember."

"My relationship with Regulus is absolutely none of your business, James."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. Just remember this, everyone isn't who they seem."

"And how would you know?" she asked, narrowing her green eyes.

"I've got experience," I said stiffly.

"What, is Sirius a psychotic murderer who just acts like a charming guy? Is Remus an autistic kleptomaniac who only acts smart?" she laughed.

"Spencer Abrams," I finally said, anger building up inside me. "I thought he was my friend too."

"Tell me then!" she exclaimed. "What is it that's so bad? What happened between you two before?"

"He's a bastard!"

"_What did he do_?" she raised her voice.

"_He found out, all right_?" I shouted. "He found out I'm a fucking wizard. He found out about my parents. He found out about my world! _Our_ world!"

She was speechless. Her mouth was opened slightly, eyes widening.

"He found out because I told him," I said, breathing heavily. "I was eleven and I haven't started Hogwarts and I haven't met Sirius, Remus or Peter. I met him in the playground and after a week, I thought we were best fucking friends. I got my letter and I didn't want to leave him and he took it hard when I told him I was leaving. He demanded the truth and I told him. I told him what I was and… And he went mental. He called me crazy, autistic and abnormal."

Then suddenly, I was eleven again.

* * *

><p><em>"Mum, I'm going out to meet Spencer!" I said, my voice echoing inside the Manor. I vaguely heard my mother's reply but I took it as a yes. It was always a yes.<em>

_I took my normal route towards Spencer's house and I greeted Mrs. Abrams, who was watering the plants outside their house. I walked in and ran up the stairs to Spencer's room. It wasn't as big as mine but it was homey and comfortable. Spencer was laying down on his bed, grinning widely as I entered._

_"I cant wait till we start school! Wouldn't that just be the most awesome thing ever? We'll be able to start planning pranks instead of doing homework or something." he said excitedly._

_I felt my heart drop and immense guilt poured over me as I watched him grinning at me, pure happiness shining on his face._

_"Spencer, I'm not going to school here anymore," I said quietly._

_The grin on his face disappeared and a look of betrayal flashed across it._

_"What?" he whispered, swinging his legs off his bad and standing up._

_"I'm going to a boarding school in Scotland," I said quietly. "I'll be there till next year."_

_"But no!" he exclaimed. "You cant go!"_

_"I have to."_

_"No you don't!" he said, anger clear in his voice. "You don't have to go! You're just going to leave me here?"_

_"You can make new friends."_

_"I don't want new friends!" he growled, stomping his foot. "I don't make friends! I don't have anyone else! Why do you have to go?"_

_"I cant not go, Spencer!" I tried to explain. "It's required."_

_"What kind of school requires you to attend whether you like it or not?" he said, sounding disgusted. "What school are you going to?"_

_I didn't answer him which was a mistake because Spencer is someone who would want to know everything once you mention it._

_"It's a boarding school," I repeated._

_"I know it is! You already said that! TELL ME!"_

_I was afraid. I was afraid of what he might do to me if I didn't answer him. His eyes were red and a snarl was present on his face. This wasn't the Spencer that I had met before. I had never met this side of him. Before I could think, I blurted everything out, my voice unusually high._

_"It's a place called Hogwarts. It's a school for magic. I'm a wizard. My whole family is. I don't have an ounce of normal blood in me. I'm pure and I'm a wizard. I'm going for my first year."_

_His eyes widened and he backed up against the wall._

_"You're crazy," he whispered._

_"No!" I exclaimed. "I'm not!"_

_"YOU'RE CRAZY!" he roared. "YOU'RE AUTISTIC AND ABNORMAL! _Why am I friends with you?_"_

_"That's mean," I snapped._

_"You really believe that you're… you're magical?" he breathed unbelievingly._

_"I am!"_

_"No you're not!" he laughed. "No one is magical! You're so stupid! Your family is stupid! Get out of my house, you crazy!"_

_"Spencer-" I started._

_"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" he screamed, pushing me out of his room and slamming the door behind him._

_I ran all the way back home, fighting back tears. I don't cry. I would never show that kind of vulnerability. I told my mom everything and the Obliviators arrived the next day. Spencer's memory was erased and they made him think that I was his best friend turned enemy of his and hated me for a really long time because I insulted his sister. That way, we would never meet up again._

* * *

><p>"James?" a shaky voice whispered, snapping me out of my thoughts.<p>

"I never want to see that guy ever again in my whole life," I said firmly. "If you want to see him, go fucking see him in South Africa or something. If you ever bring that boy home, I'm going to curse his shit like he's Snivelly."

I stared down at her, aware of the fact that she was closer to me than usual. She irritated to me to the fullest but I somehow didn't mind her standing right in front of me. Maybe because I needed to most comfort I could get after remembering that what that blasted seventeen year old said when he was thirteen.

"He was really nice to me," Hunter said softly.

I grimaced. "Only 'cause you're a girl. Bloody wanker flirts with every girl he sees."

She raised her eyebrows at me.

"What?" I snapped. "It's true."

"You know, he reminds me of you," she said thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about? We're nothing alike!"

"Oh, you're very much alike."

"Shut up."

"Are you all right?" she asked, sounding concerned. "I mean, you can still talk about this you know. It might make you feel better."

"I don't think talking about him even more will make me feel better any day," I replied.

"If you tell him again now, do you think he'd react the same way?" she whispered.

"Obviously," I spat, staring down at her and pushing my glasses up my nose because it was sliding down.

"He was thirteen, James," she continued. "He was a kid."

"I don't bloody care what his age is," I growled.

"But he's probably changed a lot since then. Maybe you should give him another chance."

"The boy hates me, Hunter," I chuckled darkly.

"You boys are so complicated!" she exclaimed. "All you two have to say to each other is a simple apology!"

"I'm never going to apologize! I did nothing wrong! He overreacted."

"Fine, I'm sorry," she apologized irritatedly. "I was just trying to help."

"Stop," I grumbled. "Just don't. You don't want to be a part of this."

"You're so annoying, you know that?" she blurted out, glaring at me.

"That's not the first time someone's told me that," I admitted. "I guess the feeling's mutual."

Her head was literally just below my chin. She was scowling up at me. I heard my stomach growl.

"We should go to the Great Hall," she suggested. "There still might be food."

She didn't move though. I didn't either. I don't know who made the first move but my hands somehow ended up on her waist, her arms around my neck and my lips on hers.

* * *

><p><em>Surprised? You might as well be. Does James actually have feelings for Cassie? It's still a mystery. Though, this may be one hell of a surprise, there are definitely more to come.<em>

_"Because he's nothing to me! I don't give two shits about him now! I don't care about the bloody past! He is nothing! I didn't even recognize him at first. You have no idea what happened so don't act like you know." -James Potter, Live To Die, Chapter Ten, A Secret History_

* * *

><p><strong>So sorry for the wait! For all you James fans over there, I hope you liked this chapter. This is still far from the end though. :)<strong>_  
><em>

**All of you lovely people you reviews, favorite-ed and alerted my story are amazing!**

**Suggestions? Questions? Just a thought? Feel free to type me a review! Reviews get me motivated to type the next chapter and update sooner.**

**Just a question though, who do you want Cassie to end up with in the end? I already have a rough plan in my head but I really want to know what you think! What about Florence? Do you think I should pair her up with anyone?**

**Till next time, loves**


	16. Meet And Greet

**Meet And Greet**

_Rule 11: When following, don't be yourself._**  
><strong>

* * *

><p>I've never kissed a guy before. Funny thing is, James was the first guy that I actually fancied to the fullest then he told everyone that my dad is Harrison Hunter and my romantic feelings were washed away by my anger. Why is my stomach going haywire if I keep thinking that I don't fancy him anymore? Why am I not pushing him away? Was I the one who kissed him or did he kiss me? I must have been the one who did it because he's the last person who I would expect to kiss me.<p>

His right hand let go of my waist and cupped my cheek. He pulled me closer and deepened the kiss. Okay, he's the one doing this! I'm not doing it this time. I don't pull back though. I wasn't I pulling back? How did this happen anyway? One second, we were saying how annoyed we are at each other and the next, James is snogging the life out of me.

He backed me up against the wall and my hands messed up his hair as his returned to my waist. Finally, I could breathe again. James' forehead rested on mine and his hazel eyes stared longingly into my green ones. His lips were only inches away from mine my I felt the heat rise up my cheeks. We both breathed heavily and I prayed to Merlin that nobody was taking a night stroll in the Quidditch pitch because I don't think I'll have an explanation for our position right now.

Then, James' eyes widened. He immediately took a few steps backwards until he hit the opposite wall. He stared at me from his side of the hall as I stared confusedly back.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" he cursed repeatedly. "Fuck, why'd you do that?"

"Do what?" I snapped.

"_That_!" he exclaimed, flailing his arms like a madman.

"Excuse me, but _you_ were doing all _that_!" I said, feeling my cheeks get even redder.

"That's because you started it!" he raised his voice. "I don't just pull back after a girl kisses me. That's just rude."

"I didn't kiss you!"

"What do you call that then? Did you trip and accidentally placed your lips on mine?"

"Oh, shut the fuck up," I spat, irritated at his snickering.

"Did you think I was the one who kissed you?" he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Frankly, yes," I lied.

He let out a big laugh. I sent him a glare and walked back inside the castle briskly.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked confusedly. "Hey! Hey, wait up!"

I walked quicker, glaring at everything in sight. James caught up to me and grabbed my arm, spinning me around to face him. He had the all too familiar lopsided grin on his face with his crooked glasses sliding down his nose bridge.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said quickly. "Let's just pretend nothing happened and get on with our lives, hating each other."

"You don't hate me," I blurted out, crossing my arms over my chest. "You said so yourself."

He opened his mouth and closed it again. I thought I saw a pink tinge to his cheeks but it was gone almost immediately after I saw it. His usual smirk was back on his face and he swung his arm around my shoulders.

"Oh, Hunter, Hunter. I've no idea what you're talking about," he said.

"Whatever," I grumbled, shaking his arm off. "Just get out of my way and we will never speak of this ever again."

"You irritate me to the fullest," he stated.

Growling, I shoved him and stormed off to Gryffindor tower. Bloody James Potter. Did he really have to be my first kiss? I mean, of all people! I'd rather kiss Peter Pettigrew, bloody Christ!

* * *

><p>If September sucked, what more the next months. I was doing a good job at ignoring and avoiding the Marauders but thank Merlin Florence decided that I was too loud whenever I was with her while she stalked the boys and started going out on her own now. I've had more time to work on the loads of work the teachers had given us. I didn't tell her about James and me kissing me though. What part of 'don't speak of this ever again' do you not understand?<p>

Of course, I didn't get to use the 'more time I had' for homework. Instead, I used it on Quidditch practice. Stupid, I know. I swear, James has gone mental. We practice five times a week and I don't even get why he forces me to go! Their first match was coming faster than I expected and I think James would be getting white hair soon. He doesn't really mind me much during practice either. I just fly around, trying not to barf and sometimes join Felicity in her drills as Seeker.

I finally get my own broomstick though. I just woke up on Halloween morning and there it was, wrapped in brown paper with a note attached to it.

_I got it a bit early for Christmas so let's just pretend we give presents on Halloween. Maccabe nearly found out that I was lending you my broom so I decided to order this one early. Hope you like it. It's just a Comet but it's good enough. I hope you like it. -R.A.B._

Obviously, I tried to find him around the castle to give the broom back to me back the weird thing was that whenever I would see him, he'd go the opposite direction. I didn't want to use it but I had no choice since I'll probably do ten thousand laps if I showed up in practice without a broom. Especially with James as Captain of the Gryffindor team, showing up to practice without a broomstick is suicidal.

The fact that Regulus was avoiding me bothered me a lot but I tried not to let it get to me. Unfortunately, it did get to me. A lot. I wondered if this was all James' doing. I mentally scratched that out of the list of possibilities why Regulus is avoiding me because he has no reason to do that. Maybe it was Florence… Or Sirius… Or maybe he just didn't want to see me anymore.

Our first Hogsmeade trip was on the start of October. As usual, Florence dragged me to the Three Broomsticks to try to listen in the Marauders' conversation. Problem was, it was definitely too noisy and we couldn't hear a thing so she gave up. Our next Hogsmeade trip was on the start of November, the day before our first match against the Slytherins. James announced that the whole team would be going down to the Three Broomsticks for a team meeting.

Unfortunately, I was part of that.

"You're really going to leave me?" Florence moaned as we exited Gryffindor tower in our thick jumpers, trousers, scarves, gloves and hats.

"You can always sit on the table beside us and try to listen in," I suggested, digging my hands in the pockets of my trousers.

"Oh, but that would be a waste of time!" she exclaimed. "You'll hear everything they say and you can just tell me."

"Then just don't go then!"

"But I want to!"

"Well, who're you going to go with then?"

Florence pouted and muttered continuously about why I had to join the Quidditch team. Now, don't look at me like that… I had my reasons to not tell her about my bet with Regulus. She doesn't even know we're friends. What if she starts yapping about how he's a Death Eater and he's a sick lying bastard? I get that enough from James Potter. Well, to be honest, he hasn't mentioned him in any of our conversations. Of course, our conversations mostly consist of…

_"You're late again. Extra laps."_

_"Okay."_

I listened to Florence complain about going to Hogsmeade alone during breakfast. Only when we finally reached the giant double doors did she stop and decided to just stay in the castle. After giving her a goodbye hug, I set off towards Hogsmeade. I spotted Felicity walking with Mary Macdonald so I don't join her.

"Hey! Hunter, wait up!"

The voice was familiar but I had to turn to see who it really was. Marlene McKinnon was jogging towards me, her brown hair flying behind her as she approached. I didn't know whether to run for it or wait for her. We didn't really talk much. If she had to pick between me or Felicity to start up a conversation, she'd pick Felicity for sure. Seeing as she's a Chaser and I'm the Reserve Seeker, our paths didn't normally cross in training. But here she was, calling me to wait for her. I didnt want to be rude to I stayed put.

"Yeah?" I said when she reached me.

"You're heading to the meeting, aren't you?" she asked, actually sounding nice.

I don't really know her so I avoid judging her too quickly but after watching her pissing James off so bad, I expected her to be a bit more cold. I simply nodded, praying that I don't took too shocked.

"Can I walk with you? My friends went off to Honeydukes," she said with a smile.

"Er, yeah sure!" I said, turning to the direction towards the Three Broomsticks.

We walked without speaking to each other. She was humming softly, a small smile on her lips. I was aware that my palms were getting sweaty in my gloves out of nervousness even though it was colder than ever outside.

"I don't really think we've properly met," she said, breaking the silence between us.

"Yeah," I muttered lamely.

"I'm Marlene McKinnon. You're in my year, aren't you? I see in classes all the time. We're in different dorms though."

"Yeah…" I replied. "Yeah, we are. I'm Cassie."

"It's funny how you got in as Reserve Seeker," she said thoughtfully. "I don't think we've ever gotten one of those before. Your catch was brilliant, by the way. I don't think Potter's your biggest fan but when it comes to Quidditch, anyone with absolute talent gets in. That's why I'm still in the team, actually. I don't think he could afford to lose another one of his decent players."

I nodded and I cursed myself mentally for being so useless in this conversation. She didn't seem to mind though. I'm beginning to think everything I thought about Marlene McKinnon was wrong. I obviously thought she was a bitch based on how she acted towards James. But the way she's acting towards me now is pleasant and I haven't heard a single insult directed towards me since we started talking.

We finally arrived in the Three Broomsticks and the whole team was already seated on the table at the far corner of the shop. James was seated at the end of the table and Sirius, looking as handsome as ever, was sitting to his right, his hands clasped at the back of his head, staring blankly at the opposite wall. The new Chaser, Damian Grace, was seated beside him, elbow laying on the table and his chin resting on his enclosed fist. In front of him was Jenna who was chatting quietly with Felicity who sat beside her. Frank sat at the other end of the table, listening in Jenna and Felicity's conversation.

The heat coming from the fireplace made me sigh with relief and I pulled my gloves off and stuffed it in the pocket of my overcoat. I pulled off my winter hat and stuffed it in the same pocket. Marlene took the seat beside Damian and I took the seat in front of her, beside Felicity.

"Well, we're all here now so let's get started," James said at the end of the table, laying his hands on the polished wood with a serious expression on his face.

"Can we get Butterbeers first?" Frank asked, raising his hand up in the air timidly.

James gave an exaggerated sigh and waved his hand, telling him to get on with it. Everyone pulled out their money from their pockets so I decided to do the same. I gave Frank the coins and he left without another word. An uncomfortable silence took over and I fiddled with my fingers, biting my lip as I stared at everyone.

"Hey, Cassie?" Marlene said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" I said, my voice unusually high.

"You know Alex Greengrass, don't you?"

I blinked. Alex Greengrass? He was the second year boy from Slytherin! I nicknamed him Captain Obvious! Weird. I haven't seen him since last year. Guilt washed over me. He defended me, saved me and told James to lay off. How could I not see him even once? What kind of heartless bitch am I?

"Yeah," I said quietly. "I do know him. Why do you ask?"

"My mum is a Healer," she explained. "She knows his mum and they've been visiting our house during the summer. I met him and he mentioned you."

"What did he say?" I squeaked, trying to forget the fact that he might have told her that I almost killed myself.

"He said he helped you with something. Didn't say what though," she replied as I let out a sigh of relief. "He's a pretty decent Slytherin, if you asked me. Then again, the Greengrass family was never really a supporter of You-Know-Who. They're sort of neutral with the whole thing."

"Greengrass?" Felicity repeated. "My aunt works with a Greengrass in the Ministry."

"Who's your aunt?" I asked curiously.

"Lisa Finnigan," she said. "She's in the Department of Magical Education."

"I met her!" I exclaimed before blushing and looking down at my hands, embarrassed at my own outburst. "I mean, yeah… I talked to her about transferring to Hogwarts."

"Now that you mentioned it," Felicity said thoughtfully. "I think I do remember her saying something about a new student last year."

"Butterbeer!" Frank announced, making his way towards us as he levitated a tray of mugs filled with the delicious drink.

He set the tray down and we all took ours. James first took a sip from his bottle before turning his attention back towards us, his eyes narrowing.

"I've got the line-up of the Slytherins this year," he said. "As you all know, Maccabe's Captain."

"Who the fuck is in the right mind to give him that badge?" Marlene spat.

"Whoever it was is fucking stupid, yeah," James continued. "Anyway, he's one of the Beaters, obviously, and you know the rest."

"Er… I don't," I said quietly, trying to stop the blush from rising up my cheeks as I looked James in the eye.

"Right, of course you don't," he grumbled. "Well, the old players are Flint, Goyle, Nott and Black. Flint's their best Chaser. Goyle's their Keeper and Nott's the other Beater. Black is their Seeker."

His eyebrows raised as he stared back at me as though expecting a reaction. I didn't say anything else and broke eye contact, returning my gaze towards my hands. I wondered if he knew all about the Slytherin team's plans this year. Did he read them? Is he going to tell everyone?

"They've got two new Chasers this year," James continued. "Loretta and Evangeline Maxx. I've never heard about them but their family's well-known. Twins, they say they are. They're tall but skinny. I don't know much about their skill but they're just as determined as the other Slytherins. We shouldn't underestimate them just because they're new."

"They're in my year," Frank added. "I have Potions with them. Bloody annoying, if you asked me. They've got this stupid sort of giggle that sounds like a scream."

"Do you know if they're any good?" Sirius asked, speaking for the first time since I got here.

"No idea," Frank said.

"I reckon this is a part of their plan," Damian said wisely. "They want to keep the two girls a mystery. Who knows what they're capable of? We wouldn't know. Only they would. It's like the girls might be their secret weapon of some sort."

"What if they're as good as James?" Felicity asked miserably.

"Rubbish," Sirius said with a laugh.

"She's right, Padfoot," James snapped, his voice quicker now as he continued. "What if they are as good as me? I'm not underestimating them. Whatever it is the Slytherins are doing, we better watch our backs. Finnigan, how many people have tackled you in the past two hours?"

"Twelve and a half," she answered immediately.

"A half?" I asked confusedly.

"What'd you do?" James raised his eyebrows at Felicity, clearly amused. "Half-frog? Disappeared his legs?"

"I turned his legs into a fishtail."

"Impressive," Marlene complimented her. "How many of them did you manage to stun?"

"About five of them," Felicity said thoughtfully. "I just outran the rest."

"Slytherins are dimwits," Jenna blurted out.

"I couldn't agree more," Sirius added in.

"It's expected," Frank commented. "They use their textbooks to injure me sometimes. I once got this nasty bruise from the History of Magic one. I forgot where I put mine so I was lucky he decided to throw that particular book."

"_Wait_!" I exclaimed, sounding thoroughly confused. "What are you guys talking about?"

"How many Slytherins have tackled you in the past hour, Hunter?" James asked me.

"Uhm… Zero?" I said with an amused laugh. "Was this what you were talking about? How many Slytherins _tackled_ you?"

"You're just lucky nobody's been going after you, Hunter," Jenna hissed and I'm surprised at her attitude toads me. Did I say anything bad to her?

"Why would a Slytherin tackle any of you?" I asked, still very confused.

Then, they all burst out laughing. I felt the heat rise up my cheeks.

"They're trying to injure us!" Marlene said, being the first to stop laughing.

"Why would they do that? That's not fair," I replied.

"Not everything in life is fair, Hunter," James snapped.

That shut me up. Everyone sat int he uncomfortable silence until again, Marlene decided to break it.

"I've got to run," she announced, standing up before finishing up her Butterbeer. She put the mug back down on the table with a loud thud. "I promised to meet Lily and Alice in a while. I'll see you all tomorrow."

As soon as Marlene left, Damian stood up saying that he had to meet up with his friends too. Felicity left followed and soon enough, everyone was getting up and leaving. James and Sirius stood up before me but they stopped gathering their things when they saw that I was still there.

"You can go now, Hunter," Sirius said.

"No, it's fine," I said. "I'll stay here for a while."

"You sure?" he spoke again, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"All right then," he gave in. "Come on, Prongs."

James followed him out of the shop without looking back. I didn't know why I'm even staying here. Maybe because I really have nowhere else to go. I bought another mug of Butterbeer, silently sipping from my drink as I absentmindedly stared at the opposite wall.

"Cassie?"

My head snapped up and I saw Marlene looking down at me, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Hey, Marlene," I greeted her.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked, sitting back down on the seat she was on during the meeting. "I left like an hour ago. Are you here alone?"

"Yeah," I said quietly, sipping my from my mug of Butterbeer.

She smiled at me before looking to the right and waved. I turned to see who she was waving over and I saw the one and only Lily Evans. Her fiery red hair tumbled down her shoulders in waves and her emerald eyes stared at Marlene curiously as she made her way towards our table.

"Cassie, this is Lily Evans," Marlene introduced me to the redhead.

"We've met," Lily said with a smile.

"Would it be all right if we sat with you?" Marlene asked me.

I blinked. No one's ever asked me if they would like to sit with me. People used to avoid sitting on the same table as me actually. Without thinking, I nodded and Lily sat on the chair beside Marlene.

"Alice! Over here!" Lily called.

My eyes immediately turned towards another girl who was holding a tray of Butterbeers, accidentally bumping people who were in her way. She was plump with a kind round face. Her light hair was tied in a messy bun behind her head and her brown eyes shined as she walked. She sat on the chair beside me and handed Lily and Marlene their Butterbeers. She took a sip from her own mug.

"This is Alice Prewett," Lily said. "Alice, this is Cassie. She's in our year."

"Yeah, I see you around in class!" Alice said. "You're a Gryffindor too, right? How come I never see you in the tower?"

"We're in different dormitories," I explained quietly. "I'm not usually in the tower too."

"I heard about you though," she continued. "You were new last year. It's nice to finally meet you."

"You too," I said with a small smile.

I was glad none of them mentioned my father but I was curious. Why didn't they? Surely they knew who my father was. Why are they so nice to me then?

"I'm sorry but, people don't normally talk to me," I mumbled. "I mean, because of who my father is. I was just wondering why you guys aren't the same…"

"We don't care who your father is," Lily said sweetly. "He's not you. You've been really pleasant and nice and we'd like to get to know you more. Why don't you sit with us during breakfast more often?"

I stared at her, mouth agape. Lily was really popular. She had an image to preserve. Why the hell would she invite me to eat breakfast with her? Wouldn't people start to hate her too? I remembered Sirius talking so badly about Lily. I was starting to not believe him, now that I've actually had met and had a real conversation with her. She seemed really nice. It's almost like she's not the girl who's broken James' heart several times.

"That's really nice of you," I told her.

She smiled. "Like I said, we'd like to get to know you more."

"Sure do," Marlene agreed. "You can bring that friend of yours. You know, the girl with the red hair."

"Florence Flanagan," Alice piped up. "She's in my Muggle Studies class. We partner up sometimes but I haven't really hung out with her."

I was about to tell her that Florence never mentioned her but that would be a bit rude so I decided to not mention it.

"I'll talk to her about it," I said with a smile.

The girls beamed and started talking about classes. With our O.W.L.s getting nearer, there was quite a lot to talk about, especially with the different homework and lessons they've been giving us. I joined in the conversation once or twice but I mostly listened to them. I learned that Lily was really smart and Marlene, like me, just like to listen to her. She and Alice would get into an argument about the topic of discussion from time to time but Lily would be the one to explain her point further and ultimately wins.

My gaze snapped away from Lily as she talked about Patronuses for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Regulus was talking to another Slytherin who I recognized as Evan Rosier. The two were standing near the next corner, their heads bowed down and whispering. I saw Regulus nod and the two exit the shop. Without thinking, I pushed my chair back and stood up. The three girls stopped talking and turned to me.

"I'm really sorry, but I just remembered that Florence told me to get back after lunch," I lied, trying my best to sound convincing.

"Oh, that's fine!" Lily said. "It was so nice meeting you Cassie!"

"Yes, it was," Alice agreed.

"I'll see you guys around then," I said.

"Definitely," Marlene said happily. "Thanks for staying with us."

"It was a pleasure to stay with you guys but I really got to run."

"Bye, Cassie!" Alice called as I ran out of the shop.

I scanned my surrounding. I could see students run towards their next destination, shielding their skin from the cold. I felt my fingers go numb as the wind blew my way. I immediately put on my gloves and hat. I finally see Regulus and Evan Rosier. They were walking slowly. Too slowly for my liking. I wrapped my scarf around my neck and half of my face. I pulled my hat down, just enough to cover my whole forehead. I walked quickly towards their direction.

They ended up back inside the castle grounds. Students were still out here so I hoped they wouldn't notice me. We walked through the hall, me trying to stay far but still able to see them. I was walking as quietly as I could and I was glad when I realized I couldn't hear any of my footsteps.

The two exited the castle and walked towards the Forbidden Forest. I could see the hut of the Gatekeeper, Hagrid from here. The two walked deeper inside the forest, not even looking back. I ran silently into the groups of trees. I cursed myself when I heard a series of crunching twigs as I walked. Thank Merlin the two boys seemed to be too far to hear me. I hide behind the trunks of the trees. I would go from tree to tree, following them from behind.

I don't know how long I was walking but I was exhausted when the two finally stopped.

"He's here," Evan Rosier said.

"Very good, Evan."

Another Slytherin appears from behind a tree. I recognized him. He was the boy with Evan by the lake. His name…. I don't remember his name…. Did I even know his name?

"I'll think about it, Carrow," Regulus said coolly.

"You mean to say you walked all the way here to tell me that you'll think about it," Carrow snapped, narrowing his cold eyes.

"Would you like me to send you an owl?" Regulus shot back.

"Don't be an idiot. You cannot send me an owl! What if someone else gets the letter?"

"I don't think I'm the idiot here."

"What was that?" Carrow said, his eyes piercing Regulus'.

"Nothing, nothing. Just saying how charming you are today. Calling me an idiot would _definitely_ speed me up in making my decision," he said.

I don't get how he can still treat this like it's a joke. They're talking about You-Know-Who, for Merlin's sake!

"Regulus, the Dark Lord is giving you until your fifth year to decide," Evan said.

"You already know I'll do it," Regulus mumbled. "I just need some time to think."

"We welcome you to the Dark Lord's followers, Regulus Black," Carrow said. "We will see you again next week."

"I'll look forward to it," Regulus said with a hint of sarcasm.

The Dark Lord's followers? I blanched with fear. He cant join them. He wouldn't. He couldn't. Without thinking, I bolted towards the castle. I was well aware that they could hear the snapping of twigs and dried leaves that I stepped on by I didn't care. That bloody traitor. How could he do this to me?

I don't know if they're following me or if they could even see me but I ran back inside the castle, not bothering to hide anymore. I fought back tears and ran up hundreds of steps to reach Gryffindor Tower. I needed Florence. She's the only person who can help me right now. I have to tell her everything. Everything about my friendship with Regulus to my kiss with James.

"Cassie!"

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I ran faster through the halls but unfortunately, I didn't know he was a faster runner than I was. I felt a hand grab my arm and I was dragged inside an abandoned classroom.

"Don't touch me!" I hissed, trying to leave but he wouldn't let go of my arm.

"Wait! Just let me explain! Please, Cassie. Just let me explain," he said quickly, panting heavily.

"I don't need you to explain!" I shouted. "I heard everything! Regulus, _let me go_!"

He stared at me in the eye, his own gray ones filled with guilt. To my surprise, he did let me go. I was too surprised to even leave. I stared back, mouth agape.

"Just let me explain," he said, still panting. "Please."

He sounded so desperate so I gave in and nodded slowly.

"I cant not join them," he started quietly.

"What are you talking about?" I squeaked. "Of course you can!"

"Cassie, you don't understand."

"I do understand," I snapped. "My own father is a Death Eater, You think I don't know what they're going to do to you?"

"This isn't about Hunter, this is about my family, Cassie!" he continued desperately. "I cant disobey them. I cant say no! If I do, who knows what they'll do? After Sirius became a Gryffindor, they've become obsessed with me bringing honor to our name so what bloody choice do I have?"

"You always have a choice!" I exclaimed.

"If that choice is between living and dying, hell yes I'll take living," he snapped.

"They wont kill you," I whispered. "They cant do that."

"They'll disown me," he said with a dark chuckle. "They'll treat me like scum. I'll probably starve to death anyway because they're too busy ignoring me to pass me the mashed potatoes."

"Will you stop that?" I said irritatedly.

"Stop what?"

"Talking like that! You talk like everything's just a joke to you! News flash, Regulus, this is all real! This is happening."

"I bloody know this is happening, Cassie," he snapped. "I just need you to understand that yes, I do have a choice but I cant choose to not do it or I'll have to suffer the consequences."

He grabbed my arms and his gray eyes filled with panic stared down at me.

"You cant see me anymore," he whispered sadly. "Just stay with the other Gryffindors. Please, Cassie. Just listen to me. You have to trust me."

I felt a tear slide down my cheek but he wiped it with his thumb.

"They're going to kill you," I said shakily.

"No, they wont," he replied trying to sound happy. "They wont. I promise."

I threw my arms around his waist, burying my face in his shirt. I could feel the anger building up inside me. You-Know-Who's taken everyone I actually cared about. My father, my family, Regulus, even Florence. He's taken her away from me by taking her father. She'll never look at me the same again. Everything is all his fault. He's vile and sadistic. Is there anyone else he can take away from me?

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><p><em>There definitely is.<em>

_"I'm just trying to warn you. Regulus Black is a Slytherin. You know who he's friends with? Evan Rosier. Remember him?" -James Potter, Live To Die, Chapter Thirteen, Spilled Secrets_

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><p><strong>Replies to Anonymous reviewers-<strong>

**AG: You're just too sweet, love! For your opinion, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I already have a rough plan in my head for the end of this story and I really hope you'll like it. I noticed you kinda like Regulus so I can assure you that he will be back soon. I can't get rid of him forever! He's one of my favorite characters to write in this story. If you have more suggestions, questions or thoughts, feel free to let me know. Hope you like this chapter! :)**

**Kassidy Mercer: I dont know if that's your real name but if it is, you have the same name as my main OC (though different spelling)! That's pretty cool. Thanks so much for dropping a review and if you have suggestions, questions or simple thoughts, feel free to let me know! Your opinion about Cassie and Florence will definitely be kept in my head and I've already got a rough plan about the end of this story and I'm hoping you'll like it. Here's the new chapter and I hope you like it. :)**

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><p><strong>Hello, hello, my lovelies! I got more reviews than usual from the last chapter and thank you so so much for everyone who did! I'm updating earlier than usual because of you guys!<strong>

**Now, I got some mixed opinions about who Cassie should end up with and even Florence but I've just thought about it and I've sort of got a plan in the end. Still, you can still tell me your opinions and suggestions!**

**We're going to see more of Alex Greengrass (Captain Obvious) and Spencer Abrams in the next few chapters so stay tuned!**

**QUESTION: Do you like Regulus' personality in this story? What about his relationship with Cassie? I planned their relationship to be completely a brother-sister one but I still might change my mind. What do you think? Also, what about Lily and her friends?**

**_Got suggestions, questions and thoughts? Feel free to tell me in a review! Reviews give me the motivation to update faster. :)_**


	17. Swimming With The Muggles

**Swimming With The Muggles**

_Rule #12: Know how to lie._

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><p><strong>SIRIUS<strong>

He was flying towards it, fast as lightning. Felicity Finnigan was flying a few feet behind him but she was the first to fly that near my brother when he's spotted the Snitch. Felicity must be really good then. I flattened my chest on my broomstick and flew to the Bludger that was hit by Maccabe towards James. Of course, James saw it coming and ducked before it hit his head. I raised my bat and whacked it hard towards Regulus.

It almost felt like I was watching it in slow motion. He was obviously too focused on the Snitch that was literally only a few feet from his fingers. Felicity was already flying beside him and they were racing towards it. The Bludger got nearer and I briefly wondered where Maccabe is or even Nott.

When the Bludger hit its target, everything was normal speed again. Regulus fell to his side and nearly hit Felicity if she didn't move. She didn't catch him though. She sped up and the Snitch was safely in her enclosed fist. The cheers of the Gryffindors filled my ears and my teammates landed on the ground, clapping each others backs and exchanging congratulations. I landed with them but my eyes were directed towards Regulus who was still on the ground, groaning as he clutched his stomach.

I saw him spit out blood and he was lifted onto a stretcher by his sulking teammates. I tried to ignore the guilty feeling inside me and a grin appeared on my face as I was tackled by my teammates who were cheering.

"This was all you, Prongs," I said happily as James and I walked in the castle with everyone else.

James talked endlessly about how amazing his shots were and the Slytherin Keeper couldn't even save a single one of them. I spotted the Slytherin team gathering around stretcher that was being pushed by their captain towards the Hospital Wing. I saw James talking to Damian so I used this chance to break away from the group of Gryffindors. A few girls tried clinging on me but I shook them away.

I silently followed the Slytherins, making sure my steps were silent. When I turned a corner, I bumped into an all too familiar Gryffindor.

"Sirius!" Hunter gasped before clearing her throat and shifting awkwardly. "I was just on my way to the common room, yes… to the common room…"

I raised my eyebrows. She couldn't be going to the common room. This hallway only led to the Hospital Wing.

"You're going the wrong way," I stated.

She rocked back and forth on the heels of her feet.

"Well, I was a new student," she squeaked. "I forgot my way there."

"I'm pretty sure you didn't forget," I said. "You were on your way to the Hospital Wing. Now, who is it that you're so ashamed of visiting that you have to lie that you're not going there?"

"I'm not going to the Hospital Wing," she replied quickly.

I snorted. She frowned at me and I expected her to walk away but she didn't. She was still standing there.

"If you're going to the common room, why aren't you leaving then?" I asked.

"Because I'd like you to pass first," she said nervously.

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'm not leaving till you tell me who exactly you're going to visit in the Hospital Wing," I said determinedly.

"Why do want to know so badly?" she hissed.

"Just curious," I shrugged. "Especially since you had to lie about it…"

An awkward silence took over and I just stared directly at her green eyes that looked oddly familiar. I seemed to have forgotten where I was and what I was doing because I was too busy thinking about where I saw those pair of eyes before. Hunter's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and back to reality.

"I'm visiting Regulus," she said exasperatedly. "I swear to Merlin, I thought it would have been obvious! James told you about me and him, didn't he?"

I stared blankly at her. She was visiting my brother? What did she mean when she said _me and him_? Are they… Don't fucking tell me they're together! The shock must have shown on my face because she spoke again.

"James didn't tell you, did he?" she said slowly, her voice cracking.

"Tell me what?" I asked, getting extremely confused now.

"Ah, shit," she cursed under her breath.

"You and Regulus are… together?" I said quietly.

"No!" she immediately replied. "No, of course not! We're just friends! He taught me how to fly and all and I started talking to him more and-"

"Why would you do that?" I snapped. "He's a Slytherin!"

"He's not the kind of guy you think he is," Hunter shot back.

"He's my brother!" I shouted. "I'd know what kind of guy he is! He's sneaky, manipulative and selfish! Believe me, I've lived with him since I was a year old and I've seen all his tricks. His tricks to get mummy and daddy to hate me and love him more. How he flatters dear old mum to get what he wants."

"That's not true," she whispered. "That's not true!"

"It's fucking true, Hunter!"

"Why are you going there then?" she asked demandingly. "Come to see your little brother to say sorry that you nearly made him barf out all his innards?"

"I came to see him. That's it," I hissed. "He's my brother. That's understandable! What's not understandable is the fact that you're visiting him too!"

"He's my friend."

"I'm telling you now, don't be," I said firmly. "Your life would be better off without him in it. Now, get out of here."

She didn't hesitate. Hunter immediately ran past me and I watched her run up the stairs towards Gryffindor tower. I angrily stomped over to the Hospital Wing and roughly pushed the door open. The Slytherins all stopped talking to stare at me. The second they realized who it was, their eyes narrowed.

"Get out," I said dangerously.

"Don't you tell us what to do, Black," Maccabe said with a sneer, lifting his chin up with his dark eyes piercing my own gray ones.

"I said get the fuck out," I ordered again.

"Leave," Regulus said from behind his teammates. "He's my brother. Just get out."

The Slytherin Quidditch team sent me glares as they walked out. I saw Loretta and Evangeline Maxx give me flirtatious smiles as they batted their eyelashes at me. I held back a snort. As if those filthy bitches had a chance with me. Bloody girls weren't even that good in Quidditch. Well, Evangeline Maxx did score the most out of the three of them but their skills aren't the point at the moment!

I turned my attention towards Regulus as the door slammed shut behind me. Half of his body was under his blanket and his own pair of gray eyes pierced my own, his eyebrows raised.

"Thanks for that hit, by the way," he said. "I'm really enjoying seeing Maccabe screw his face up like a pig whenever he sees me."

"You're mental," I stated.

Bloody brother didn't know when to stop with this sarcastic attitude or whatever it is he's doing. It gets fucking annoying. Even in the most serious situations, there's always a snide remark coming from him.

"I'm not the bastard who nearly killed his own brother," he stated.

"I didn't nearly kill you," I hissed. "I knew where I was aiming at. You think you could have almost died?"

"Well, I _was_ about twenty feet in the air on a broomstick. I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure people could get seriously injured when falling from that high."

"You are such a arse," I told him.

He shrugged with a grin.

"You know Cassie Hunter," I said quickly.

His head snapped up and his joking manner disappeared as quickly as it came. The smug smirk on his face fell and his jaw dropped.

"What about her?" he asked fiercely.

"You two are friends."

"You could call it that, yeah," he muttered.

"Why?" I immediately asked.

It's so unlike Regulus that he'd just befriend a Gryffindor just like that. He would never do that. Never in my life did I imagine him even interacting with a Gryffindor. I knew him. I know I do. I knew how his ways worked. He's obviously just taking advantage of Hunter. He wants to get close to her to learn more about her father so that he'd get even closer to becoming a follower of Voldemort. Yeah, that's probably it,

"Well, because I want to be her friend! Fucking Merlin, have I ever stopped you from being friends with someone?" he said bitterly.

"I know what you're doing," I narrowed my eyes at him, "and it's not going to work."

"I'm not doing anything," he snapped. "She's my friend. I'm going to do anything bad to her."

I snorted.

"Why do you care anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Because she's in my house. I don't care if she irritates the hell out of me," I said.

"Well, I think you're quite taken with her," he said with a smirk.

"Shut the fuck up."

"I don't hear you denying it," he raised his eyebrows.

"What's the point?" I snapped. "You wont believe me anyway."

"Ah, that's probably true. Now, why exactly did you come here and kick out my oh, so comforting teammates? You do know they were in the middle of telling me how much I sucked out there, right?"

And he's back to normal. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I just wanted to see if you were still alive," I told him, opening the door and stepping outside. "You're talking normally and nothing's wrong with your face so I can only assume that you'll be up and running in two days."

"I'll be sure to mention you to Cassie next time I see her," he called after me as I slammed the hospital door shut behind me.

* * *

><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

As the scarlet train stopped, I couldn't help but let a grin form on my face. Sure I wasn't really going home to my real family but Mr. and Mrs. Potter are my family now. I was also weirdly happy because James isn't coming home for Christmas. Something about staying with Remus because he cant go back home. I wonder why.

Regulus was staying at Hogwarts too. I had no idea why but that's what I heard. It pained me to stay away from him for so long. It's like losing a cousin all over again. I would catch myself gripping my quill so tightly in between classes that it would snap in half. I'd suddenly start cursing You-Know-Who for being such a bastard in the middle of my meals with Florence.

Because of what just happened between Regulus and me, I was never in the mood to join Marlene and her friends for breakfast. I did mention it to Florence and I knew how badly she wanted to sit with them but she stayed with me, for my sake. I didn't tell her and I felt really bad for that. I would eventually. When the time is right. I already know how she's going to react. She's going to comfort me first then tell me that I'm better off without him. Just like how Sirius said it.

Sirius. He's been in my head a lot lately since our encounter near the Hospital Wing. All those things he told me about Regulus. Were they all true? Well, probably but he's changed. I know he has. There's no way in hell could he have faked how he acted towards me when I was with him. He cant be like that. He cant ever be like that. Sirius was just being a git. Like he and James usually are.

The minute the doors opened, Florence and I were one of the first ones out. She gave me a goodbye hug and she nearly made her glasses off when she burried her face in my shoulder. I'll miss her but I'll see her next year though. I watched her as she disappeared in the crowd, finding her sister. I lifted my trunk and looked widely around for Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

"Cassie, over here!" Mrs. Potter called from beside the barrier between the platform and King's Cross. She waved for me to come over and I ran to her, grinning madly.

She gave me a big hug and Mr. Potter patted me on the back. He lifted my trunk for me and disapparated. I held onto Mrs. Potter's arm and we spun on the spot. I felt the air rushing out of my lungs and I felt like I was being sucked into an extremely thin tube. Finally, I could breathe again and my feet touched the warm carpet of the Potter Manor's living room.

"Do you need help to bring this up to your room?" Mr. Potter asked, gesturing to my trunk.

I shook my head. "I'm all right, Mr. Potter but thank you. Will I be able to sleep in my room this break since James is back in Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I think Dorea would allow that," he chuckled. "You'll be alone in any room anyway. You sure you can bring this up?"

Nodding, I took the trunk from him. It's not that heavy since I left some of my books and clothes back in the dormitory is the castle. I pulled it up the stairs and when I finally reached my room, I was panting heavily and sweating. Dropping the trunk beside my bed, I lay down on the amazingly soft mattress.

Christmas in Maryfields was always so peaceful. I absolutely loved it here. I'd wake up to the smell of breakfast and most of the time, Mr. and Mrs. Potter would leave early for work so I'd eat alone. I don't mind, though. I'd go out to the pitch too once in a while and fly for a bit. Julie would give me lunch and I'd spend the rest of the day bumming around. Mrs. Potter would normally come home before supper and she'd cook it for us. Days passed so quickly.

I was laying down on my bed, two days before Christmas, thinking of what I should do for the night today. Then, I immediately sat up with my eyes wide. A grin slowly started to form on my face when I remembered another reason why I was so excited to get back here for Christmas. I immediately changed out of my house clothes and put on comfortable jeans and all the thin sweaters I owned. I grabbed a Gryffindor scarf and ran downstairs.

I passed by Mrs. Potter who was setting the table for supper.

"I'll be back later," I said, still running.

"Before eleven, Cassie!" she called as I ran out of the house.

The gates flew open as I ran nearer and I almost slipped on ice, on my way out. The snow definitely slowed me down and I cursed myself for not bringing my coat with me. No matter how manner layers of sweaters I had on, they were still very thin. I cursed myself for not wearing a hat either.

I had finally reached the familiar park and the I spotted the house I had been so excited to see since I boarded the Hogwarts Express. I don't even know why I was so excited. Maybe it was because Spencer and his family were the only friends I had out of the magical world. Maybe because with them, I felt like a normal person. Someone with no magical powers who lives in a normal house with a normal family and goes to a normal school.

Being magical is something a ten year old kid would want to be. I'm telling you know, being a witch isn't all fun and games. Especially since there's a war building up in our world. Suddenly, I felt guilty for standing in the park right now, staring longingly at Spencer's house. I promised myself that I wouldn't see them again because I didn't want them to become a part of my world. I'm pretty sure Evan Rosier isn't my biggest fan. What if he finds out about them? Who knows what kind of torturous things he does in his Death Eater time?

I was just about to turn away and run back to the Potter Manor but I saw a flash of brown from the upstairs window that made me as stiff as a rock. Before I could figure out who it was up there, Teddy Abrams appeared outside in stockings, a wool skirt and a thick cardigan. She wore a winter hat on her head and her brown hair was tied in a single braid down her back.

"Cassie?" Teddy called.

"Hi, Teddy," I greeted her, crossing the road to her house.

"Oh my God, it _is_ you!" she said happily, still in the same american accent. "I haven't seen you since, like forever!"

She pulled me in a hug, beaming.

"Spencer's going to flip when he sees you!" she exclaimed. "Vivian too! She's going to be a bit mad at you though. You said you'd take her to your mansion then you just disappeared! Spencer told me you go to a boarding school and he thinks we wont be able to see you until the summer."

"It's Christmas break for us," I explained. "James didn't come home though. Only me. He's back in Ho- I mean, back in school."

I looked down, blushing. I cant believe I almost let that slip. Thank Merlin Teddy didn't notice it because she continued to grin at me.

"That's all right," she said. "I'm over him now. I have a boyfriend anyway! He's inside. You wanna meet him?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude-"

"Don't be stupid," she said with a snort before grabbing my arm and pulling me in the house.

I felt the familiar homey atmosphere as I entered. There was a crackling fire in the living room and I sighed, feeling the warmth. Teddy made me sit down as she ran upstairs. I could here her shouting but I couldn't make out the words.

"_What_?" I heard someone exclaim from upstairs.

Loud steps echoed in the house. I spun around, seeing Spencer running down the stairs, his hair tousled and and his eyes red as though he just woke up. All he wore was a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt. Yes, he was probably sleeping. I cursed myself for not waiting for tomorrow to visit them and coming here unannounced. Feeling guilty, I played with my fingers as I looked down, flushing.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me with a lopsided grin.

"I just wanted to visit," I mumbled shyly. "I'm really sorry for coming here unannounced. I know it's rude and I should have-"

"No, no, no, it's okay!" he said quickly, running a hard through his hair.

"Did Teddy wake you up?" I asked him, looking up to his hazel eyes.

"Well, yeah but-"

"Shit," I muttered before turning to the door. "I shouldn't have come. I'm so sorry."

I opened the door but Spencer closed it before I could leave.

"Look, Cassie, it's fine!" he laughed. "I just slept really late last night."

"Wait, you just woke up now?" I asked, bemused. "It's nearly six in the evening!"

"Is it?" he said confusedly before checking his watch. "Oh yeah, it is. I came home at like six in the morning last night."

"Why?"

"I went to a party," he explained. "With my friends, you know. Actually, one of them's with me right now. Wanna meet him?"

"Yeah, all right," I replied, smiling.

"Cool," he smiled back.

He awkwardly shifted and started to walk up the stairs. I figured I should follow him so I did. I've never been upstairs in his house before. There was another sitting room with some Muggle things like a television. He led me to the nearest wooden door and opened it, only to see Teddy snogging a boy on Spencer's bed.

If we were in a different situation, I would have laughed at Spencer's face. His hazel eyes look like they were about to explode and his jaw was stiff. I could tell that he was gritting his teeth. Teddy and the boy separated immediately. The brunette flushed, staring down at her feet. The boy sent Spencer an apologetic grin, his blonde hair ruffled and his bright eyes darting from me and back to Spencer.

"Liam, what the _fuck_ are you doing?" Spencer said through gritted teeth.

"Well, I _am_ dating her, mate," Liam said.

For some reason, I was glad I wasn't the only British person in the room.

"You were making out with her on my fucking bed!" Spencer shouted.

"To be fair, she snogged me first."

Teddy let out a loud laugh and Spencer's glare immediately turned to her, making her shut up.

"Liam, get the hell out of my room," Spencer snapped.

"Hey, you haven't introduced me to _your_ new girlfriend," Liam replied, sending me a wink.

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Yeah, he wishes," Teddy snorted.

Spencer growled as I turned red.

"Get out."

"I have leave soon anyway. Got to get ready, you know?"

Liam sent him another grin and me a wink before leaving, Teddy following him. Spencer closed the door behind him, muttering angrily. He laid down on his bed grabbing a baseball from his side table, throwing it up and catching it with one hand. I couldn't help but think how alike he and James are.

And I thought James and Sirius were alike. Spencer's practically an older version of him. It was creepy in a way.

"I heard about what happened to you and James," I said quietly, sitting at the end of his bed.

He sat up abruptly, his eyes wide. The baseball he threw up landed on his head and it bounced back on the bed. It must have hurt but he didn't show that he was in pain. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. What is it with guys and showing pain? It's not bad to show it sometimes.

"How'd you find out?" he asked.

"James told me," I replied. "Spencer, he was young. You were young. He probably didn't even-"

"He insulted my sister," he growled. "In front of the whole village! I'm never forgiving him! Teddy probably already did but I don't care what she thinks. She was humiliated and cried herself to sleep for a week."

I bit my tongue to keep myself from saying how all of that was a total lie. James didn't do any of that. It was Spencer who ruined their friendship. I'm not judging him based on that though. He was thirteen. Anyway, if I was a Muggle and someone told me they were magical, I think I would have gone mental as well.

Of course, Spencer could have been less harsh. They were best friends. I found it really hard to believe that Spencer would actually do that to James. The way he acted towards me was so sweet and calm. He's curious too. That's especially how he differs from James. James has this mischievous and mysterious aura around him. He's got a bigger head too.

Then a thought popped in my head. What if what happened between James and Spencer was the reason why James acts the way he is right now? Being called autistic and abnormal must have hit him really hard. Especially since it was from someone he was close with. Maybe this is his way of showing Spencer that he didn't need him anymore. That he's got everything he can get in Hogwarts. The attention, the girls, the friends, the grades.

He's pretty popular in the village too. Though Spencer's got the looks, he's apparently not the smartest kid in class. I remember him telling me that he could play baseball but he never attends practices. He's become a fit lazy bum. Compared to James, he might be just as low as me.

"I shouldn't have mentioned it," I muttered. "I'm really sorry."

"Stop saying sorry," Spencer laughed. "You've been saying sorry since you arrived."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Ah, shit. Never mind," he said with a chuckle before swinging his legs off his bed and standing up. "Have you ever been to a high school party?"

"A party?" I repeated uneasily.

"There's one in Liam's house, just now!" he said excitedly. "Come with me. Everyone will love you there!"

It sounded fun but I couldn't go. That would be extremely risky. I couldn't get attached to even more Muggles right now. Then, I stared up at Spencer's hopeful expression. I couldn't say no. What if he gets devastated and hate me forever? Sighing, I nodded.

"What exactly do you wear to a party?" I asked curiously.

The only parties I've ever been to were Gryffindor victory parties and I don't normally stay long, still in my Hogwarts uniform.

"What you're wearing's fine," Spencer said with a wave of his hand. "Nobody'll care anyway. I can go there in this if I want to." He gestured to the white t-shirt he was wearing and his pair of boxers.

He pulled a pair of guy shorts and a plain dark green shirt out of his messy closet. He put the shorts on and ripped his shirt off, not caring that I'm still standing there looking awkward. His new shirt was on him the next second though. He slipped his feet in a pair of blue topsiders. He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of his room.

"Teddy, we're leaving!" he shouted as he ran down the stars, dragging me with him.

"Wait!" Teddy wailed from her room. "Spence, hold on!"

Spencer sighed heavily as we reached the living room, tapping his foot impatiently as we waited for Teddy to come down. She eventually did, her hair still in a loose braid and wearing stockings, pair of jean shorts with a red tank top and a black cardigan over it.

These two people were psychotic. Didn't they know how cold it was outside? I decided not to point it out though. We finally left the house, ten minutes after seven. The route was unfamiliar. The snow definitely slowed us down and I knew Spencer was freezing but he didn't show it. He was wearing a thin shirt and shorts, for Merlin's sake! Who wouldn't be freezing in that?

Teddy didn't bother hiding the fact that she's cold though. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly. I pulled off one of the many thin sweaters I was wearing and handed one to her. She accepted it greatly, putting it on as quick as possible.

We stopped in front of a tall two-story house. I could hear music from inside but it wasn't too loud from the outside. Spencer led Teddy and me in the house and the music was much louder. I didn't expect to see so little people though. There were only about six of them there, all on the floor in a circle.

Liam stood up when we entered, greeting us happily. He saw me and his eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"You know, Spencer, you never introduced me to her!" Liam said, grinning madly at me. "What's your name, love?"

Spencer shoved his head and walked towards the others who were still seated, staring at me with weird faces. Dammit. I knew I shouldn't have come.

"I'm Cassie Hunter," I introduced myself to Liam.

"This is Cassie Hunter, everyone!" Liam announced to the whole room.

"Liam, keep your voice down," Teddy snapped. "You're going to wake the whole neighborhood. Did you drink already?"

"I didn't drink!" he said loudly. "What are you talking about, love?"

"Fucking hell, why am I even dating you," Teddy muttered to herself.

"Yeah, Ted, why?" Spencer asked from the couch he was sitting on.

Teddy flipped up her middle finger at Spencer before joining the circle. I was still standing there awkwardly.

"Well, come on, Cassie!" one of the girls in the group said cheerfully. "You cant stand there all night!"

Timidly, I walked towards them and sat outside the circle. They immediately started to make space for me and I scooted in between Teddy and Spencer, who only just sat down.

"We're playing Truth Or Dare today, mates," the same brunette who called me over said.

"We played that last week!" the dark-haired boy beside her complained.

The two looked weirdly similar.

"And we had the time of our lives last week, didn't we?" the brunette snapped. "Anyway, Cassie, I'm Donna, this git of a brother beside me is Don. His girlfriend is Lacey," A curly-haired girl beside Don waved shyly at me. "and that's her cousin, Bret," A dark handsome boy smiled. "and the redhead is Chris- Wait, where's Christine?"

A loud scream came from the back and everyone stood up. I almost pulled my wand out from the pocket of my jeans. Then, there was a loud splash and the group of friends burst into laughter. Water droplets appeared on the windows and I realized that Christine must have jumped in a pool or something. We all ran outside and I saw a red-haired girl floating on her back in the swimming pool.

"Get out of there!" Liam ordered but he was smiling himself. He walked to the edge of the pool but this was obviously a mistake because Christine immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him in.

Liam's head appeared out of the water, flipping his hair out of his eyes. "Fuck!" he shouted. "It's bloody cold!"

"You dared me to jump in the pool last week and I did!" Christine cheered, getting up from the water and grabbing a towel from the bench.

"Christie, how much did you drink?" Donna laughed, walking nearer to her friend.

"Not too much!" Christine replied happily, dancing to the song that was playing from inside the house. "I _love_ this song!"

Bret immediately ran back in the house and the music grew louder. Soon, everyone was dancing and Liam pulled Teddy in the water with him. I couldn't help but laugh with everyone else when Teddy started complaining about how she had to apply all her make-up all over again. Teddy threw her heels on the grass and lifted herself up from the pool.

She grabbed Don's arm and tried pulling him in the water. Don stayed put, protesting loudly and Teddy slipped, making herself fall back in the freezing water. Lacey was practically on there floor laughing and Spencer was clutching his sides, trying not to fall on the ground with her. I joined in the laughter and suddenly, something freezing cold grabbed my ankle.

Looking down, I saw Liam's grinning face staring up at me, half his body in this water and half his body on the floor, stretching his arm to reach my leg.

"No, Liam, don't you dare-"

Too late. He tugged my ankle hard and I fell on the floor, a searing pain shot up from my arse as it hit the floor first. I was laughing and screaming at the same time as Liam pulled me. When I finally reached the pool, the cold was too extreme and I immediately swam back to the surface. I got up but unfortunately, I was too slow and Teddy had pulled me back in.

Despite the possibility of freezing to death in this pool, I was weirdly having fun. Swimming back to the surface, I saw Spencer's grinning face staring down at me as he kneeled at the age of the water.

"Don't you usually drain a pool when it's winter?" I asked him.

"Liam thought it would be nice to have water for the day," Spencer answered. "How cold is it?"

Grinning, I grabbed his arm and pulled him in. I lifted myself up from the pool but again, someone pulls me back in. I pushed my head out of the water and shoved Spencer's head when I saw it. I lifted myself up for the third time and luckily this time, I got out before anyone could pull me back in.

"Cassie!" Liam called.

I turned to the direction of his voice and saw him holding up a box of water guns. He tossed me one and I caught it, grinning. I loaded it with water and squirted it out towards Don. Laughing, he grabbed another gun from the box and loaded in with water. Before he could start squirting the water out, he was pulled in by Teddy.

I shouldn't have laughed so hard with my mouth open because Liam used this as an advantage and squirted ice-cold water in my mouth. Spluttering, I could vaguely hear Liam laughing his arse off. Smiling widely, I took aim and did the same to him, filling his mouth with ice-cold water.

Everyone somehow got a water gun and the battle began. I managed to team up with Spencer and Teddy when we ganged up against Liam, Bret and Don. We squirted and squirted until they were right at the edge of the pool and we all pushed them in. Unfortunately for Teddy, Liam had the time to grab her arm before falling in, causing Teddy in fall in with him.

Spencer and I immediately backed up from the pool and water was suddenly on my face again. I tried blocking it with my hand but it was no use. I took a step forward, not watching where I was going, and slipped, landing on my stomach. I could hear someone laughing from above me so I turned and squirted water at whoever's face.

Turns out, it was Spencer.

"Oops," I grinned.

Swiftly, he grabbed me by the waist and threw me in the pool, me holding on to his shirt, making him fall in with me. Lifting my head out of the water, I watched Christine and Donna trying to get Lacey in the pool. Christine was carrying her legs and Donna was carrying her by the arms. Lacey was laughing as she screamed for them to stop.

The two girls swung her once then twice and finally, they let her go at the third swing. Lacey's head appeared out of the water as she laughed madly.

"It's freaking freezing, bleeding Christ!" she exclaimed, getting up from the pool and grabbing a towel from a bench.

Suddenly, I heard a loud knock coming from inside the house. It must have been loud if I could hear it above the music. Everyone else seemed to have heard it as well.

"Who the fuck would be here at ten in the bloody evening?" Liam muttered, lifting himself up from the pool and grabbing his own towel, walking in the house.

We all grabbed our own towels and followed him in. I nearly fainted when I saw who were standing outside the house.

James Potter and Sirius Black were there, arms crossed with frowns on their faces. Sirius leaned against the door frame, raising his eyebrows at everyone. Christine and Lacey were staring at him, faces flushed and wide-eyed. Christine's hand shot up to her red hair, trying to untangle it. Lacey wiped the water on her face with her towel, still staring at the gorgeous boy before her.

Donna and Teddy, however, were staring wide-eyed at James. He didn't seem to notice them though. He was staring directly at Spencer, his jaw stiff and his eyes piercing. He was angry. I knew he was.

What were they doing here? They were supposed to be in Hogwarts! They're not spending Christmas here. James told me himself!

"We're here to get Hunter," Sirius said simply. He scanned the house and spotted me. "Ah, there she is. Let's go."

I didn't move. They didn't either. Nobody did.

"Why the fuck would you bring her here," James hissed, staring directly at Spencer.

"Why do you care?" Spencer shot back.

"Because she's technically my sister!" James snapped. "Mum and dad adopted her so I'd say that she is."

"It's not like I forced her to come here! I asked her if she wanted to come with me and she said okay!"

James sent him his fiercest glare and turned his attention to me.

"We're leaving, Hunter," he growled.

"I'm staying!" I snapped.

"Hunter, listen to him," Sirius said, staring at me directly in the eye as though trying to tell me something.

"Let's go!" James grabbed my arm and pulling me out of Liam's house.

"Hey, mate," Liam said, walking out of his house. "The lass said she was staying."

"Don't you _mate_ me," James snapped, pulling me again.

"It's okay!" I shouted to Spencer, Teddy and their friends. "Thanks so much for having me over!"

Before I could hear their answer, James had pulled me to another street and Liam's house was out of my sight. Sirius was walking beside James, his head tilted up to the sky, whistling quietly with his hands deep in the pockets of his jeans. James was still fuming and I yanked my arm out of his grasp.

"What the hell was that?" I spat, breathing heavily. "You were so rude back there, you know that?"

"None of those bloody wankers deserve my respect," James shot back. "What were you doing with a bunch of eighteen year olds anyway? Mum would be furious if she finds out! Drinking with eighteen year olds isn't something you should do, you know."

"We weren't drinking!" I exclaimed. "We were just playing around in the pool!"

The thought of the pool made me realize how cold it was outside. I was soaking wet and I was glad that I still had the towel from the house. The cool wind blew in our direction and I was shivering. Sirius took his jacket off and swung it around my shoulders. It didn't do much but I was still grateful.

"We have to take her home," Sirius said. "She'll probably get sick out here if we stay any longer."

"If only we could apparate already," James mumbled, starting to walk again.

Sirius snorted. "My wand's back in your house so either way-"

"My _wand_!" I exclaimed.

My hand immediately shot down to the pocket of my jeans, me praying to Merlin that it was still there. My eyes widened and I started to hyperventilate. I could vaguely hear Sirius calling my name worriedly. James was staring at me wide-eyed. My wand. My wand wasn't there. I felt my pocket again, trying to feel the thin piece of wood but all I felt was wet fabric.

It must have fallen out. My wand was in Liam's house. My wand was in a house filled with possibly drunk eighteen year old Muggles.

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><p><em>Leaving your wand in a Muggle home is never good. Of course, Cassie knew this and she better get her wand back fast or she'll have to face the consequences. Will Spencer and his friends find it before Cassie come back? She sure hopes not.<em>

_"Let's say we're not exactly the kids he's dreamed off." -Spencer Abrams, Live To Die, Chapter Ten, A Secret History_

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><p><strong><em>Replies to anonymous reviewers: (To everyone else, just scroll down)<em>**

**_AG: Hello, lovely! Thanks for reviewing once again and I'm really praying to God that you like this chapter. If you don't, that's completely understandable. As for Lily and her friends, there will be more about them when Cassie returns to Hogwarts. Yes, I'm sticking with the brother-sister relationship for Regulus and Cassie at the moment. Thanks again!_**

**_Kassidy Mercer: _**_**Here's the next chapter! I really hope you like. I struggled a lot with this chapter and I don't think it's as good as my other chapters. Tell me what you think though! Really glad you like Regulus and thanks so much for the review, lov**_

**__Gotta-lovethat-Se__xualTension:__ Thanks so much for the review, love! I really like Sirius and he's definitely a choice when it comes to who Cassie ends up with in the end. About him and Florence, I'm still thinking about it but I can assure you that Florence will be happy in the end. Really glad you like Regulus' personality here too! Thanks again and I hope you tell me what you think for this chapter. :)__**

_**AwkwardIDontHaveAnAccount: Sirius is definitely a choice when it comes to who Cassie ends up with in the end. Thanks so much! You're too sweet. I hope you tell me what you think of this chapter. I'll be sure to put in some more Cassie/Sirius in the coming chapters for you! Thanks for reviewing, love!**_

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><p><strong><em>To be honest, I really struggled with this chapter and it's understandable if you absolutely hate it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and alerted! I love you all!<em>**

**PLEASE READ: Some of you may know that my name is Teddie and for the record, I did not put myself in this story and Teddy and I are complete opposites so please don't think that I put myself in here. Putting myself here would ruin the whole story and I would never do that. :)**

**I have actors for most of the characters in this story so if you want to know how I think they look like (Like Cassie, Florence, Spencer, etc.), just send me a PM and tell me the character/s or leave it in a review! I'll send you a PM of a link to the photo of how I picture the characters in my head! Especially my OCs since I'm the only one who would really know how they look like. :)**

**Feel free to leave me a review! Who's POV do you want in the next chapter?**


	18. Forgive And Forget

**Forgive And Forget**

_Rule #13: Stay away from the door as much as possible._

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><p><strong>SPENCER<strong>

"Who do they think they are, telling her what to do?" Liam grumbled slamming the door shut as Cassie, Potter and the other boy disappeared, turning to another street. He took a swig of the bottle of alcohol he was holding.

"Who's the fit bloke with James Potter?" Lacey asked, grabbing the bottle from Liam and taking a drink herself.

"Give me that." Don snapped, grabbing the bottle from her and taking in a mouthful as well.

Teddy was watching me cautiously as though expecting me to blow up anytime now. Someone grabbed my hand and sent me a sympathetic smile.

It was Christine. She, like everyone else in this house, knew about my relationship with James Potter. She's been my friend as long as Liam has been. Liam was my first friend when I moved in this village. He introduced me to the crazy redhead and the three of us were closer than ever. Of course, I met James Potter. He's two years younger than me and we somehow met in the park. We had a lot in common. I found myself starting to send more and more time with him.

At thirteen years old, I asked him if he was going to the same secondary school as I was. He said yes. I got excited. There was a day where he told me he wasn't going anymore. I don't know how I reacted. How can I not know how I reacted? When did he insult Teddy anyway? I don't remember the exact date… Was it before or after he told me he wasn't going to school with me?

_"You really believe that your…"_

The words echoed in my head. They were mine. I said that. It was my voice when I was thirteen. I groaned frustratedly when I realized the the sentence didn't finish. Believe that he's what? I buried my head in my hands. Something about seeing James Potter again did something to my head. I don't know what but I'm seeing images when I was thirteen. I saw James, his back flattened against a door. My door. My bedroom door.

_"It's a place called…."_

The sentence was, again, left unfinished and I desperately tried to hold onto the words. It's a place called…. what? The more I tried to repeat the words in my head, the faster I started to forget it. What was going on? These were memories of me when I was thirteen that I have never remembered in my life. Did this really happen? Did I drink too much and now, the alcohol's messing with my head?

It was throbbing and groaned.

"Spencer?" Christine called my name urgently. "Hey, what's- _hic_- going on?"

She's like Liam. A drinker. Thinking drinking would wash away all their problems. I don't blame them. Drinking makes you feel alive and carefree. Away from the cruel world. It's ironic. I drink the least out of everyone in this room and I've got the most family problems in life. Christine's the top of her class and her parents shower her with compliments and gifts. Liam's a bit like me, a lazy ass, but his family is normal enough.

"Mate, Spencer, how much did you- _hic_- drink?" Liam slurred with a hiccup before taking another mouthful from his bottle.

"I didn't even drink too much," I told him.

Suddenly, Donna bust into tears. Teddy walked to her and pulled her in a hug. Donna's one of the emotional drunks. If you get her to drink enough, she'd spill all her dark secrets, crying her eyes out. She's a real drama queen, I'll tell you that.

"I cant believe that James Potter would show up after what he did to Teddy!" she wailed, burying her face in Teddy's top. As expected, Teddy immediately moved away from the crying girl, frowning.

"It wasn't that bad!" Teddy said, shrugging. "I don't even remember it anymore. It was so long ago."

"I don't either," Liam added. "Bloody hell, your hair's spinning and spinning and spinning."

His eyes were rolling continuously as he twirled a piece of Lacey's black hair with his finger. Liam's the weirdo. He's just weird when he drinks. There's no way else to put it. I don't know what goes in his head when he's drunk. Of course, Lacey's….

"Don't _bloody_ touch my _hair_, Liam!" she screeched, pushing Liam, making him drop his bottle and it shattered on the floor.

The angry, short-tempered drunk. Her shouts made my head hurt even more and I started to see clearer images. Images of James glaring fiercely at me as he said something that I couldn't make out. Images of him leaving my room and I slammed the door behind him.

"I need air," I announced.

"Come on," Bret grunted, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the backyard where there was water everywhere.

The others followed behind us. Sometime on the way to one of the benches, I vomited on the grass.

"Are you sure you didn't drink too much?" Christine asked worriedly, making me sit down.

"He didn't drink as much as me at least," Liam slurred.

"If he drank more than you, he'd pass out," Bret muttered.

"Stop talking," I ordered.

Voices. That's what I heard in my head. Not voices of Liam or Christine or anyone of my friends. I think…. I think it was me. I could hear myself in my head. The words I was saying were muffled and unclear. It was higher and panicky. I lifted my head up to stare at the pool. Something caught my eye near the corner.

Without thinking, I immediately stood up and squinted the whatever it was. It was thin and dark. It glowed slightly underwater. At first glance, you'd think it was just a branch from one of the trees surrounding the house. If you looked closer though, you'd know it's not.

"Spence?" Teddy said nervously. "Hey, what're you looking at?"

"What is that?" I asked quietly, pointing at the thing underwater.

"It's just a stick, Spencer," Lacey rolled her eyes.

"I don't think it's just a stick," Don muttered, moving closer to the edge of the pool.

Despite my throbbing head, I followed him there, still squinting.

"Spencer, you're sick. Stop moving so fast!" Christine snapped.

She could have said it sooner because right after she said that, my foot slipped on a puddle and I fell forward. My head hit the edge of the pool and the rest of my body fell in the water with it. My eyes were fluttering and I could see something red at the surface. My blood. And everything went black.

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><p><strong>SIRIUS<strong>

All I want to do is go back to the Manor to Peter and Remus and we'll talk about our future plans. I was quite tired too. Especially after trying to calm werewolf Remus down and watching him for the whole night without getting a minute of sleep. Apparently, James forgot to tell us that his mother told him to come back before Christmas. Who knew the Potters could get away with things like this? I'm pretty sure if an unpopular half-blood asked McGonagall if he could come home even after the Hogwarts Express left, she'd tell him to bring his sorry arse back to the common room.

I shouldn't have gone downstairs too soon after dropping my things in James' room. Or maybe I should have gone down with Peter and Remus so we'll all be here in this mess. Mrs. Potter shouldn't have seen me. She shouldn't have told me to come with James to find Cassie Hunter.

I shouldn't have suggested to look in Spencer Abrams' house. Mrs. Abrams shouldn't have told us that her son was at this party. James and I should have just left Hunter there and walked back home.

If I was using my common sense, I'd still be James' room, sleeping peacefully on my mattress. Instead, I'm standing in the middle of a street that I have never been in before, staring unbelievingly at Cassie Hunter. After the words slipped out of her mouth, I knew we were all screwed.

"Are you mental?" I spat, panic taking over my collected self. "You left your wand in there?"

Hunter has got to be the most stupid person I have ever met. She goes to a party with people she barely even knew and she leaves her wand there when it's bloody obvious that everyone in there was probably drunk. What happens when one of them sees it? Does a wand even work with Muggles? What if it goes haywire and kills everyone in the house?

"We have to go back," Hunter said, turning, but James grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"_No_!" he said, panic in his eyes. "No, we cant go back!"

"Mate, her wand is in a house with Muggles! Muggles who don't even know what she is!" I shouted. "We _have_ to go back!"

"If we go back, I'll have to see Abrams again," he snapped.

"Then stay here then," I told him.

"But I don't want to."

"Prongs, we're going there whether you like it or not," I shot back. "Do you have any idea how much trouble we'll be in if the Muggles find her wand?"

James sighed heavily and agreed. We ran towards the other end of the street we were currently in. Before we could turn to the street where the one of the Muggles lived, James grabbed Hunter and me again, pulling us back.

"_Wait_!" he said, his eyes wide with fear. "We cant we really cant! He's going to remember me. I'm serious, he's going to remember! We were never supposed to see each other ever again. The obliviator. He told me. He saw me twice now. He's going to remember. He cant… He cant remember."

"Why are you so scared? Because he'll remember that you're a wizard?"

I could have sworn I saw his shake his head but his movement was extremely small and I almost missed it. I knew his story with the Muggle boy. It was sad, really. Even I have to admit that. Spencer Abrams must have meant a lot to James. Maybe even still. Then I saw something in James' eyes that I've never seen before in my life. The way he bit his lower lip. The way his whole body was tense as he spoke. His eyes were wide, filled with guilt.

"You're blaming yourself?" I whispered, narrowing my eyes at him. "Is that why you're so scared for him to remember? Because you think you caused this whole mishap? And you think he'll that that too?"

"I told him about us," James said quietly. "It was me. If I didn't say it, we'd still be friends today."

"_He shouldn't have reacted that way in the first place_!" I shouted, not caring if I woke up a Muggle or two in the houses nearby. "If he's in any way decent, he'd apologize for reacting the way he did when he was thirteen!"

"He shouldn't apologize. It was my fault. He didn't know what he was saying."

"What is _wrong_ with you?" I snapped. "Why are you defending his shit? After all those years of telling me how much you hate his guts?"

"It's different now, all right?" he shot back. "But now that there's a chance that he might actually remember me, I realized that I cant face him like that again! For some reason, I agree completely with him. It is my fault. I ruined everything. I told him I was going to secondary school for him and he believed me. I told him what I am and he went mental which is completely understandable. What Muggle wouldn't react like that?"

"It's not your fault," Hunter said quietly as she shivered, hugging herself.

"Stop defending him, James," I said. "Just stop."

"You don't know how it feels!" he stomped his foot. "Calling me abnormal broke the shit out of me. Especially since it came from him! I was angry and I convinced myself that I don't need him anymore. I wanted to prove that so I became…. this." He gestured to himself.

"You hated him about ten minutes ago when you saw him," I told him.

"Yeah, well, he's the reason why I'll be grounded for ten thousand years when I get home," James muttered.

"This is really weird," Hunter snapped. "James, what made you act like this? You're not yourself right now. Can we please just go and get my wand?"

"I'm not going back in there," he said, shaking his head with his eyes wide.

Hunter sighed exasperatedly and turned to me. "Stay with him, please. I'm going back."

She turned to the next street and she was gone. I angrily turned to James.

"Spit it out," I growled.

"I freaked, all right?" he snapped. "Just seeing him again and all. Looking him in the eye. There was something there. It was like he remembered what I said to him."

"Do you think he will?" I asked.

"Eventually," he sighed, sitting on the sidewalk. "I cant avoid him forever. I'm bound to see him again whether I like it or not. The obliviators told me to stay away from him as much as possible because he might get flashes of what happened that day. I just don't want to hear it the second time. Hearing it once from him is enough. Abnormal and autistic. Crazy. Do you think I'm mental, Padfoot?"

"You're pretty mental, mate," I chuckled, joining him on the sidewalk. "But not in a bad way. You tend to act on impulse. I'd never call you autistic though. That was a low blow."

"We were really close," James mumbled. "Almost as close as us or me and Remus or even Peter. No matter what he did, I always have the feeling to defend him from people who say bad things about him. This is the first time I've actually said it out loud though. It's just like how I defend Wormtail whenever someone asks why he's in our group."

"Why _is_ he in our group?"

"Because he was just like us," he answered. "We were all scared to stay in that castle in first year. Even you, Padfoot. Don't you are deny it. We were completely clueless too. He might have been a bit more clueless but we warmed up to him, didn't we?"

"Somehow, I cant imagine being in this group without him," I admitted. "Anyway, when did you get so mature with your words?"

"Sod off," James snorted, shoving my head playfully. "Don't get used to it. I'll be back to being a arsehole before you know it."

"Oh, I know that."

He flipped his middle finger up at me, grinning. We never get to talk like this often like normal best friends do. Sure, we tell each other everything but it's not like we actually talk about them thoroughly. It's usually me saying…

_"There's this fit girl who asked me out. I kind of fancy her so I think I'll say yes."_

_"Cool. Say, did you save me some of the cream puffs we stole yesterday?"_

Or him saying…

_"Evans said no to me again. Hell, that girl will be the cause of my white hair when I grow old."_

_"Want to talk about it?"_

_"Nah. Say, you still got some of that chocolate Moony got you for Christmas?"_

The conversation about our personal lives do always end with James asking for food. Hey, at least I made an effort to talk about it with him. Of course, I didn't really want to so I don't know if that counts.

"James! Sirius!"

James and I stood up immediately after we heard our names being called. It was Hunter, her blonde hair flying behind her head as she ran and stopped in front of us, panting heavily. Her fingers were red and it took me a few seconds to realize that they were blood.

"Freaking Merlin, Hunter, what did you do?" I said, grabbing her wrists and examining her hands.

"That's not my blood," Hunter said, her voice cracking as she wriggled her wrists out of my grasp. "It's Spencer's."

* * *

><p>Christmas break passed too quickly but it was eventful. Spencer Abrams was currently in a Muggle hospital right now and Hunter's been extremely worried. Mrs. Potter had suggested to visit him but she said she didn't want to intrude since his family must be there everyday. From what I heard when the boys and I eavesdropped on Hunter and Mrs. Potter talking in the kitchen, Abrams hasn't woken up yet so I guess I can say that he's in sort of a coma.<p>

At first, I thought we would have to deal with Hunter crying all the time in James' room. I knew Hunter and James were punished and they were supposed to sleep in the same room together but since I was here and Remus and Peter too, Mrs. Potter was forced to let her stay in her own room for now. I have to say that I'm extremely thankful for that.

Also, for the first time in years, James, Remus, Peter and me skipped the New Year's Eve Ball, locking ourselves in James' room the whole time. It was pretty loud but it was better than staying up there with a moody James. Ever since Spencer Abrams' accident, James has always been in a cranky mood. He's okay most of the time but just don't get him mad.

Hunter's been just as bad as him. Like us, she locked herself in her room during the Ball. She got her wand back weeks ago when she visited Liam's (I finally learned his name when Hunter asked Mrs. Potter if she could go visit his house with her) house and told him she forgot something from that night. According to her story, Liam was too hungover to actually care and she and Mrs. Potter walked to the backyard. Mrs. Potter summoned Hunter's wand from underwater and they walked home.

The train ride to Hogwarts wasn't very eventful. Seeing as Snivellus stayed in Hogwarts for Christmas, we really had no one to mess with except a few first years who ogled at us from outside our compartment. We laid off Hunter since she's probably still bummed out. Once we arrived in our dormitory, each of us collapsed on our beds and fell asleep instantly.

Our next Quidditch game was slowly approaching. We were waking up earlier than usual for practice. We also finished later than usual. So late that dinner in the Great Hall was finished and we were forced I grab some food form the kitchens and bring it up to the common room to share it with everyone. We were going against Hufflepuff and if we beat them, we'll be either above or behind Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's chances of winning will be gone.

One thing that was pissing me off was how hard the teachers were making us work. I've already lost count of the number of things they're making us do for homework for the whole week. The atmosphere in Hogwarts was also getting gloomier and gloomier everyday. Every morning, we'd see at least one Ministry owl flying with the others, a purple envelope with the Ministry seal tied to it's leg. The boys and I would watch the owl as it descended to the unlucky student.

The war was obviously building up and it was getting worse. The number of deaths per week should be a good example of how bad it's getting. I would watch Remus, Peter and James as they stared at the most dreaded owl in the morning, obviously hoping that it wasn't flying towards them. They'd breathe out a sigh of relief when it lands somewhere else but then, they'd watch the student who did get the letter with pity.

I don't have to worry about getting the letter since my family is supporting Voldemort in this war. I don't know how I would react if I get a letter, telling me my parents were dead. Maybe I'd feel a bit bad but I'm sure that I'd get over it. I can almost imagine how Remus, Peter or James will react if they get the letter.

Sometimes, my gaze would turn to Cassie Hunter. She watches the Ministry owls too. I don't know if she still has a family out there. Judging from how she's currently living with the Potters, I assumed that she didn't have anyone left except her father. I could relate to her a bit. We both have people in life who're currently participating in the war, supporting Voldemort. I'd see the names of my cousins on the Daily Prophet sometimes. I'd read about their crimes, sometimes including Harrison Hunter.

At rare moments, I'd think about Spencer Abrams. How's he doing? Is he still sleeping in a Muggle hospital somewhere with his family surrounding him, hoping he'd wake up eventually. I wanted Spencer Abrams to wake up too, actually. I don't think even he deserved to die now. How old was he? Seventeen? Eighteen? I don't think I can ever imagine myself dying at that age. Maybe Hunter knew if he was awake.

James, Peter I were currently in the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey healing all our cuts and bruises we had gotten from last night. It was a full moon and we had gotten most of our injuries from him. Remus always took the chance to apologize to us but we'd tell him it was no problem since he had no control whenever he turned into a werewolf. We had started to get used to sneaking out once a month to the Whomping Willow to help Remus. No matter how many scratches and bruises we get, we have never regretted turning into illegal animagi. It was all for Remus after all. Thank Merlin Madam Pomfrey didn't ask too much questions whenever we visited the Hospital Wing.

"You better not come back here again, you lot!" Madam Pomfrey said irritatedly as we left the Hospital Wing.

"She'll miss us," Peter said.

"Of course she will," I agreed.

"Come on, we've got Quidditch practice," James announced.

Peter and I exchanged exasperated looks. Unfortunately, James saw us and we were punished with laps around the pitch. Poor Peter. He's not even in the team.

* * *

><p><strong>FLORENCE<strong>

They were there again. Just like the month before. Scratches were all over their arms and one of the beds was covered with curtains. It's always the same bed too. The one furthest to the door and on the left corner. I was always curious about that bed and whoever was there every month. Nobody ever used that bed without the curtains around it.

James, Sirius and Peter only started to come to the Hospital Wing every month starting this year. It was also weird that they came whenever the curtains were around the bed in the corner. Remus was never it them either but he'd be with them at night. The next morning, the bed would be seen again, curtains around it gone. Remus might be the one sleeping there every month but you can never be so sure.

I needed more clues and more proof. I also needed more time to study and do my homework. Maybe I should be more like Cassie who's currently in the common room, doing all her homework for the night. Lucky for her, James decided to let everyone rest before the big game against Hufflepuff which was happening tomorrow.

"Flo!" someone called.

I was looking through the window on the door of the Hospital Wing and James turned to his side. I immediately ducked down before turning to see who had called my my name.

It was Cassie, her blonde hair tied in a ponytail and her green eyes wide and alert. She held a package with her hand. When she finally reached me, she grabbed my arm and pulled me to another deserted hallway. I heard the Hospital Wing's door open and I breathed a sigh of relief, thanking Merlin that Cassie had pulled me out of the way just in time.

When she finally stopped dragging me, she turned and showed me the package wrapped with brown paper. Not parchment. Paper. I knew it was paper because i could easily see another color through it. Probably the color of the gift inside it. It was too thin to be parchment. I instantly knew this was from a Muggle.

"It's from Teddy," she said breathlessly.

I knew who she was talking about, of course. She told me the whole story of her meeting a Muggle family in her village. Apparently, a boy called Spencer had hit his head and was currently in a Muggle hospital. Cassie hasn't been very talkative lately. His injury must have hit her pretty hard.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"I haven't opened it yet," she replied, staring at the package. "It might be a birthday present. I mean, my birthday is next week. But I don't remember telling her when my birthday is."

"Your birthday?" I repeated, my eyes widening. "When's your birthday? Oh, bloody hell, how could I have never asked you when your birthday is? I'm such a bad friend!"

"Don't be stupid, Flo," she said with a snort. "I didn't ask you when your birthday is either."

"The seventh of July," I immediately said.

She blinked. "Well, I'll keep that in mind. Don't be surprised if you get a gift form me during the summer. Mine's next week, the fourteenth of February."

"Valentine's Day?" I squealed. "Cassie, why'd you never tell me? That's amazing!"

"It's not really that special," she muttered before turning back to her package. "I'll open it now. There was a letter with it but all it said was look inside, from Teddy."

"Go on," I encouraged her.

She carefully peeled off the tape. She obviously didn't want to tip the paper off. When she opened one side, the box slid out. It wasn't too big and it was navy blue. Cassie slowly lifted the lid and I saw a beautiful silver necklace with a single swing hanging from the chain. It didn't look too expensive. It was simple yet elegant. Cassie lifted it up and stared at the swing that was hanging. I don't know what it meant but she obviously did.

A piece of paper fell out of the wrapper and I bent down to pick it up.

"Open it," Cassie ordered.

I unfolded the paper and I started to read, Cassie reading from behind my shoulder.

_Hey Cassie. I visited your foster parents a few days ago and I saw your foster mom baking cookies. She told me she was going to send them to you for your birthday and she told me when it is. I'd just like to say advanced happy birthday. Vivian and I went to a mall yesterday and I saw this. It's not expensive and Vivian found it really pretty. I did too._

_I didn't know how to send it to you so I visited the Potters again. Mrs. Potter said she'd take care of it and I hope you did get it. She gave me the time to write this down. I know you're worried about Spencer too and I'm sure he'd love to be a part of giving this gift but he's still in the Hospital. Something's happened with him and I cant write it down here because it'll take too long. You'll know once you come back for the summer._

_Again, advanced happy birthday. I told Mrs. Potter to send it as soon as possible and I'm pretty sure it's not your birthday yet right now. Don't worry about Spencer too much. He already woke up. There's just been some problems which you'll know when you get back._

_Lots of love,_

_Teddy_

Cassie lifted her head up, eyes wide.

"He's awake."

* * *

><p><strong>SPENCER<strong>

Why does my mouth taste like vomit? What the hell am I laying down on? It was soft, that's for sure. My head didn't feel too bad but it still hurt a bit. I slowly opened my eyes and I was blinded by the white light. I squinted and tried to sit up then I felt the pain in my head grow, forcing me to lay back down. It only took a few seconds for me to get used to the bright light. I thought about where I was.

I don't remember being here before. I assumed I was in some sort of hospital, seeing as there were medical things everywhere. My head still hurt and I don't try to sit up again. On the table beside the bed I was laying down on, there were a bunch of boxed sweets and other kinds of gifts. I picked up the box of brownies and read the note attached to it.

_Hey, mate. Get well soon. I'm really sorry about this. I hope you can forgive me. I knew I shouldn't have bought too much drinks. -Liam_

Liam? Who's Liam? I furrowed my eyebrows as I stared at the note, reading it over and over again. Did he have anything to do with me waking up in a hospital? Liam. Liam. Liam. Liam. No matter how many times I repeat his name over and over again in my head, my mind is still blank.

I buried my face in my hands, desperately trying to remember whatever happened before I got landed in here. Nothing. I don't remember anything.

Suddenly, the door opens and a familiar curly-haired girl entered. The moment she laid her eyes one me, she burst into tears. She ran to me and pulled me in a tight hug, her head on my shoulder. Her tears soaked my shirt but I didn't mind. She was crying and I had no idea why. I didn't want to be a douche and push her away. When she finally let me go, she looked at me, sniffing.

"I cant believe you're awake," she said shakily. "Heck, we've been waiting for weeks and I thought you were dead! Don't you dare do that again, Spencer! Don't you freaking do that again!"

Did she say Spencer? Who's Spencer?

* * *

><p><em>Amnesia is not something to joke about. If the accident was severe, Spencer might just forget almost everything about his life. Will he be able to remember everything again?<em>

_"I told him what I was and… And he went mental. He called me crazy, autistic and abnormal." -James Potter, Live To Die, Chapter Fifteen, After Practice Surprises_

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><p><em><strong>Replies to Anonymous reviewers and those with their PMs disabled: (To everyone else, please scroll down)<strong>_

_**Potterhead: Here's my update! I didn't get to do James' POV but I did Spencer's. Thanks so much for the review! I really appreciate it. :)**_

_**AG: Here's the new chapter! Hope you like it. I did a bit of Sirius' POV and I did let him explain why they're back in the manor. Thanks, again, for reviewing. :)**_

_**duckinparis (PM disabled): Thanks for reviewing! I really appreciate it. Here's the new chapter and I hope you like it. :)**_

_**Siriuslove: I did Sirius AND Spencer! I hope you like this chapter and thanks so much for reviewing. :)**_

_**Kassidy Mercer: I glad you liked it and here's the next one. I hope you like this one too. Thanks so much for reviewing. :)**_

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><p><strong>Hello, lovelies! I really hope you like this chapter. Again, I have pictures for most of the characters in this story and if you want to see how they look like, don't be shy to ask. I'll PM them to you.<strong>

**Feel free to leave a review for me to know what you think and suggestions, questions or simple thoughts are always welcome.**

**What do you think of Spencer losing his memory?**


	19. Missing Past

**Missing Past**

_Rule #14: It wouldn't hurt to get some help._

* * *

><p><strong>SPENCER<strong>

"I'm sorry but I don't know a Spencer," I told the crying girl.

A frown appeared on her pretty face and her eyes were wide with confusion. The door opened and a tall lady wearing a white coat and holding a clipboard walked in. She seemed to be too focused on what was written on her clipboard to notice that I was awake. When she finally lifted her head up, her eyes widened and big smile appeared on her face.

"Oh, Spencer, you're awake!" she said cheerfully. "How nice. Teddy, would you mind calling your family? They're downstairs in the cafeteria."

"Y-Yeah, sure," the girl called Teddy answered with a sniff.

Teddy. The name sounded familiar. Did I really know this girl? She knew me, that's for sure. As soon as the girl left, I turned to the other woman, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Where am I?" I demanded. "Why did you tell that girl to get her family? I don't even know her."

The woman sighed and her dark eyes grew weary. She smiled sympathetically at me and sat on a chair beside my bed.

"Can you tell me who you are?" she asked kindly.

I opened my mouth to say my name, only to realize that I had no idea who it was. I dropped my gaze to my hands.

"I don't know," I muttered, waiting for her to confusedly ask me why.

Her answer got me even more confused though.

"Your name is Spencer Zachary Abrams," she told me.

"How did you know? Do you know anything else about me?" I asked with a frown.

"You live in Oxfordshire in a neighborhood called Maryfields," she continued. "You live with your eight year-old step-sister, your sixteen year-old full sister, your mother and step-father."

I tried to think of everything the lady had said about me. My name is Spencer Zachary Abrams. I like in Maryfields, Oxfordshire. That's in England. I have a step-father and an eight year-old step sister. I have a mother and a sixteen year-old sister. My name is Spencer Zachary Abrams. Spencer Zachary Abrams. The more I repeated it in my head, the more convinced I was that that really is my real name. It didn't sound foreign as I thought about it. Yes, that is my name. Spencer Zachary Abrams.

What about my family? I tried to remember their names and their faces but I couldn't. I didn't have a clue how they looked like. In fact, I didn't have a clue how I looked like. I haven't seen myself in a mirror or anything. Do I look ugly? Do I have a permanent scowl on my face? Why cant I remember all of this? And who's Liam?

"You hit your head pretty hard, Spencer," the lady said. "I had a feeling this would happen but we could never be so sure until you're awake. My suspicions were correct and you did, indeed, lose your memory. In other words, you have amnesia. It's bad too. I was hoping for you to only forget the most recent events and a few things about yourself. Unfortunately, this is much worse than I expected. The most we can do for you now is help you recall your past, friends and family."

"Will I be able to remember everyone?" I asked timidly.

She gave me a sad smile. "It depends on the severity of the accident, Spencer. In your case, your accident was, indeed, bad. Only time will tell if you will be able to remember everything about your past. For now, all we can do is bring in those closest to you. Maybe their presence will ring a bell."

I don't even remember my family. I don't know their names, looks, anything! I don't know anything about them!

"Could you at least tell me their names?" I said quietly. "My family, I mean. I don't know anything about them."

"The girl who was just in here a while back was your sister," she told me. "You're both Americans, am I correct? She's the sixteen year-old." She checked her clipboard before speaking again. "Her name is Theodora Allison Abrams. She's known as Teddy nowadays, though, so I suggest you call her that."

"Teddy," I repeated.

The name sounded familiar. Very familiar. Of course, it was my sister's name. That girl in here was my sister. No wonder she was so worried.

"Who else?" I asked the woman.

"Vivian Thomson," she said after checking her clipboard again. "She's eight and your step-sister. According to your mother, you two were quite close. Vivian and Teddy rarely ever leave the hospital during daytime. They're always at your side. You have a very caring family, Spencer. You are very lucky."

I could feel the guilt building up inside me. They cared about me and I didn't even know them. I wanted to, of course. I wanted to know every single thing about them. Something tells me that I did know everything about them. I just couldn't remember. I wanted to remember so bad.

"Your mother is Rosie Abrams," the woman continued, staring at her clipboard. "She married your step-father, Ben Thomson, when you were eleven and you moved here from the States."

Suddenly, the door burst open and the brunette who was here a while ago, Teddy, entered with three more people. The youngest was blonde with short hair, her eyes filled with tears. The couple was staring wide-eyed at me as though not believing that I was here.

"Spencer, you're awake!" the youngest, Vivian, choked out. She finally let her tears fall and she jumped on my bed, careful not to hit me. She buried her face in my shirt and I could feel her tears soaking it.

"Viv," Teddy said quietly, taking a few steps towards us. She grabbed Vivian's shoulders and tried to pull her away from me. Vivian wouldn't move.

This time, the woman who told me who I was stepped in and gently shook the blonde eight year-old's shoulder.

"Vivian, I need to speak with you and your family. It's about Spencer and you all need to hear this."

"Doctor Macdonald, what is it?" my mother said shakily, her own tears falling from her eyes.

Vivian finally let go of me and Teddy led her to the corner of the room. My mother and step-father followed them there and Doctor Macdonald explained to them what happened in whispers. I couldn't hear her, so I decided to read all the notes attached to the boxes on my side table. One of them was from someone called Bret. His name didn't really ring a bell so I checked the others. Another was from Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Again, it didn't ring a single bell in my head. I hung my head in shame, feeling guilty about all these gifts I got from people I didn't even know.

They obviously knew me. How will they react when they find out that I had no idea who they were?

"He knows me," Vivian's desperate and angry voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "He knows me! I grew up with him! He taught me how to walk! He beat up all the kids who bullied me in kindergarten! He put up with my dad because of me! _He cant forget me_!"

"Vivian, I'm very sorry," Doctor Macdonald said sadly.

"_NO_!" Vivian screamed, her voice getting more desperate and angry. "He knows me! I know he does!" Then she turned to me, crying even harder. She ran to my bed and threw her arms around my neck.

For some reason, I felt more awkward this time. I made her cry. This was my fault. I didn't say anything though. I didn't do anything to comfort her either. Doctor Macdonald said she was my step-sister but I knew nothing about her. For me, this was the first time we have met. For me, she's just an eight year-old that I live with. I have no memories of me teaching her anything or beating up anyone. Could all of that be true?

"Spencer, you know me right?" she looked up, staring desperately into my eyes. "You _do_ know me! You _have_ to know me. Spencer, _please_!"

I slowly shook my head, feeling even worse, the more times I shook it. I couldn't lie to her. I wouldn't want to mislead her into thinking that I was back to normal. I didn't know her. I had no idea who she was, except for the fact that she's my step-sister.

She saw me shaking me head and she cried more, louder even. My mother picked her up and whispered comforting things in her ear. She didn't stop crying though. I felt really bad. I turned my eyes away from the crying eight year-old and it landed on my so-called step-father and sister. Teddy wasn't crying. Her eyes were just red. She was glaring at everything in sight except me. She obviously didn't want to look at me. She was probably disgusted with what I just did to Vivian.

My step-father was staring directly at me, his face blank with emotion. I didn't know if he was happy to see that I was awake or angry that I was upsetting his daughter. I wanted to apologize but I couldn't bring myself to open my mouth and do so. Doctor Macdonald was speaking with my mother and they talk in hushed tones. Finally, after what felt like hours of waiting, they were forced to leave the room for me to rest. Before leaving, Teddy finally let herself look at me and I held her gaze for a few seconds. She sent me a stiff nod before leaving the room with the rest of her family.

Sleeping after that wasn't hard. I didn't notice how tired I was until after everyone left the room, including Doctor Macdonald. I didn't dream of anything. How could I dream of anything? I knew nothing so what would I be able to dream about? My sleep was refreshing though. By the time I woke up, I could see the sun rising outside the window and I knew it was early in the morning. I had no idea how long I slept and what the date was.

There was a newspaper on my side table and I picked it up, reading the date.

_February 13, 1976_

"Well, you're finally awake."

I dropped the newspaper and I lifted my head up, only to see a young pretty woman with a wide smile and shining blue eyes. She was holding a tray of food, reminding me of when I woke up the last time and Teddy walked in with a similar tray.

"Call me Whitney," she said softly, walking towards me. "I'm the nurse assigned to your room. I'll be calling Doctor Macdonald in in a while. She's currently in her office, writing a letter to her daughter who's in a boarding school. She's going to be asking you a few more questions today."

"More questions, huh?" I grumbled, sitting up.

Whitney placed the tray of food on my lap. There was a bowl of soup, a chicken leg, a glass of water and a banana. I sighed at the lack of food to eat but I didn't complain. I picked up the metal spoon and started to sip the hot soup I scooped up from the bowl.

"We're only trying to help you retrieve your memory faster, Spencer," she said with a smile. "We're really trying to help you here. There have been quite a few people, demanding to see you. Unfortunately, they came at the wrong time. About six of them were at the front desk yesterday but you were still asleep so we wouldn't let them in. I'm sure they'll be back today though. Maybe seeing them will make you remember at least one thing."

"How long was I asleep?" I asked her.

"About two days," she said. "It was expected and we thought you'd sleep longer. Go on and finish your food. I'm sure you're hungry."

I took a huge bit from my chicken leg and took in three large gulps of water.

"I think it's time to call Doctor Macdonald," she announced when I finished eating. "You stay put now."

She took the tray from me and left the room. Not even a minute later, Doctor Macdonald entered the room with Whitney. The doctor walked over to me and felt my neck and forehead. She asked me questions like if I've eaten or if I slept well or if I saw anything in my dreams that was related to my past. I answered all her questions honestly and she sent Whitney outside to fetch someone.

"Spencer, we're sending up a bunch of people who you used to know. I know it's a big step but we're doing this to help you and maybe seeing them might trigger something in your memory a little." she explained.

My eyes widened. A bunch of people? Who was she talking about? I couldn't meet anyone right now! Doctor Macdonald must have noticed my panic and tried to calm me down.

"We're doing this to help you," she said. "It's going to be fine. These people really know you. They're not going to hurt you."

I wish I could believe her but she didn't know how it felt to forget everything about everyone. They could have known me but I'm not trusting any single person I'm going to encounter. As far as I know, they're strangers to me at the moment. I have no idea who they are and it's going to stay like that for a while. If I didn't remember my family, what makes her think a bunch of other people will make me remember everything?

Before I could tell the doctor all of this, the door opened and two people entered, a boy and a girl. The guy was blonde and tall, his bright green eyes staring at me warily. The girl with him looked his age but she was a head shorter. Her flaming red hair was wavy and layered and her dark eyes were filled with guilt. Her lip quivered and her eyes suddenly filled with tears. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her purple sweater.

The two slowly took a few steps towards me, hesitating before each step. Without thinking, I backed myself against the headboard of my bed, fear etched across my face as I watched them come closer. Who were these people? I didn't know them. I didn't recognize them. They don't ring a bell at all. They both stopped when they saw me staring wide-eyed at them. They knew I didn't know them but that didn't stop them from taking more steps closer.

"Spencer," Doctor Macdonald said sharply. "They're not going to hurt you. You can trust them."

"I cant trust anyone," I blurted out, knowing how angry and fearful my voice was. I didn't like how I sounded so weak as I spoke. "I don't know anyone here."

"You do know them," she said with a sigh. "You know them. These two were your best friends." She turned to the two who just entered. "State your full names."

"I'm Liam Jefferson," the guy said with a hint of desperation in his voice. "Spence, we've been best friends since you got here! Since you were eleven. Come on, mate, think about it."

I shook my head fiercely, still not trusting this Liam guy. Then, I remembered something. My hand immediately flew to my side table and I picked up the box of brownies with the letter from a guy named Liam. I stared at the note and looked back up. He was biting his lip as he watched me.

"Did you give this to me?" I asked quickly.

"Yes," he answered immediately. "I gave it weeks ago. I really am sorry. You slipped on a puddle in my house and you hit your head on the edge of my pool. It was a really hard hit. We thought you were d-dead." His voice cracked at the end of his sentence.

I continued to shake my head furiously. "You did this to me? You made me lose all my memory?" I asked angrily.

"No!" he said loudly. "Of course not! I didn't do anything to you! You slipped in my house. I'm sorry for that. We should have been more careful in there!" He turned to look at the redhead beside him and she bit her lip, staring directly at me.

"Hi, Spence," she said so quietly that I almost didn't hear it. "It's me, Christine. Christine Hendricks. Do you remember me, Spencer?"

She almost sounded as desperate as Vivian as she talked to me. I waited to say yes. I really did but I couldn't. I didn't want to lie to her. I shook my head slowly, my eyes never leaving hers. She held back a job as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

What is it with everyone and crying these days? Was I really that close to her that she'd be willing to sound so desperate? I wanted to remember them all but I couldn't. I really couldn't. Not a single memory appeared in my mind when I saw them. Was my fall that bad? Was it so bad that I would forget literally everything? I don't think it's possible to forget _everything_. I did recognize Teddy's name. That's a start, isn't it?

Moments after the redhead, Christine, burst into tears, Doctor Macdonald sent them out and another pair entered with her. There was another boy and another girl. The boy's hair was dark and a curly mess. There was a small smile on his face as he entered. The girl beside him looked similar and I assumed they were related somehow. Her brown hair was straight and long and like her companion, she had a small smile on her face too.

This was the first time I've seen somehow who's visited me look happy and not tearful. They stayed where they were, in front of the door and at the other end of the room. I was thankful that they didn't come nearer because I was pretty sure I'd start to panic again.

"Hiya, Spencer," the boy said nervously. "I know you have a bit of a problem with your memories and all so I guess I should introduce myself again. I'm Don Hamilton. We met in school and we were sort of close. I introduced you to my sister, Donna."

"That's me," Donna raised her hand. "We're twins, if you didn't know. Well, obviously, you don't know now… We just wanted to say that we really miss you and we hope you get well soon. I know you remember us but if you're up for it, we'd like to start over. You can get to know us all over again when you get out of here. We really love you and it's killing us to see you here, knowing that we could have done something to stop you from falling."

"Get well soon, okay?" Don said quietly, staring at the floor. I was afraid that he'd start crying too.

All these people were crying because of me. It made me want to cry too. I know crying wont solve anything though. Crying wont make me trust them. Crying wont make my memories pop up in my head out of the blue. Crying wont make me realize that I actually know them all and jump into their arms, rejoicing. If only everything was that simple. They obviously cared about me. It was wrong that I didn't care much about them back at the moment. I really wish that I did.

Another pair entered the room, once again a boy and a girl. The dark-haired boy blinked repetitively at me as though not believing what he was seeing. The brown-eyed girl stayed emotionless as she stared at me.

"This is Bret," the girl said. "I'm Lacey." I thought I saw her eyes tearing up and she quickly continued. "We were close friends. We all were. I really hope you get better and… Well, th-that's it."

Unexpectedly, she roughly pushed the door open, screaming like a crazy. Bret apologized quietly and ran after he outside. I had no idea what just happened and I turned to Doctor Macdonald, who was still seated on the chair beside my bed. She sighed heavily.

"I heard she's been having a tough time," she explained. "They all have. They love you, Spencer."

"I don't know them," I said simply.

"_This is your fault_!" someone from outside screeched. "_You're the reason why he cant remember any of us! _You and your bloody drinking problem!"

"_What do you want me to do, Lacey_?" another voice shouted back. "You think I don't feel guilty about this? I do! I feel fucking guilty! He was my friend too and I'm hurting just as much as any of you are!"

"Lacey, please," a boy said calmly.

"Don't you dare come near me!" Lacey screamed.

Doctor Macdonald stood up and opened the door. I saw Lacey being held by two boys, Bret and Don. Angry tears streamed down her face and she shouted at another boy, Liam. Donna was whispering to her but she didn't look like she could hear Donna's words. Christine was sitting down against the wall, shaking, her head in between her knees and her hands covering her ears.

"Excuse me, but this is a hospital. There are patients in the other rooms and I suggest you do your business outside. Whitney, please lead them to the exit," Doctor Macdonald said.

"I know where it is, thanks," Lacey said coldly, finally shaking off Bret and Don's grips. She sent Liam one last glare before stomping away. The others started to follow her until it was only Liam and Christine left. Before I could see what they'd do, Doctor Macdonald closed the door and told me to get some rest.

It was devastating, seeing them act like that because of me. I wanted to know them again so they would be happy again. Unfortunately, this didn't just work that way. I knew I wasn't going to get my memory again soon.

They made me stay for another week in the hospital. My so-called family would visit me from time to time. Usually, it was only my mother and step-father. I see Teddy from time to time but Vivian never came. Sometimes, I'd ask my mom if she was coming in the afternoon or evening. She'd respond with a sigh and a sad smile as she shakes her head.

Doctor Macdonald would check on me everyday to see if I was doing alright. Ever since the large group of teenagers visited me weeks ago, nobody else had gone to see me. I didn't expect any visitors except my family anyway. In fact, I was glad nobody else had come because I knew I'd just make them cry and the guilt would return. I didn't want to make anyone else cry. I don't remember much about myself but I'm pretty sure that I'm not a fan of having people crying near me.

After more than a month since I was awake, the hospital finally concluded that I'd do fine and released me. I heard Doctor Macdonald talking to my mother as I pretended to be asleep. She said that it was unusual that I would lose almost all my memories and she didn't know how it happened. Apparently, the accident wasn't too severe and I should have only lost the memories of the recent events and a few things about myself. It was a shock to see me forget almost everything about my life.

I didn't want to hear more after that. I opened my eyes and pretended that I just woke up. They immediately stopped talking. They explained to me how I could finally go home. For some people, they'd be ecstatic. For me, I was dreading the moment when I'd be forced to get out of the car and enter my own house where Vivian and Teddy were currently in. Hopefully, they're in school.

School. Didn't I have school? I was eighteen, wasn't I? Or was I seventeen? No, I had my birthday last September. At least, that's what my mother said. September twenty-two, to be exact. Maybe I'd have to go back to school once I return. Of course, I didn't want to go back to school so soon. Especially since I had no idea what my past lessons were. I'd probably flunk out after the first day.

Leaving the hospital was harder than I thought. I wanted to stay on that comfortable bed until I got all my memories back. I didn't want to go back to my home where everyone there is crying because of me. I wish everyone would just stop and get over it. It sounds harsh but it's true. I don't remember them anymore. It's a fact. I don't know what else they're going to do to make me remember but I'm sure as fuck that I wont be remembering anything anytime soon.

The ride home wasn't too long. We were in the village called Maryfields in about thirty minutes. I stared at the houses we passed by as we drove through street after street. They all looked new to me and I didn't recognize a single one. We finally stopped in front of an ordinary two-story house. The front garden was well taken care of, the flowers blooming in the season of Spring.

My step-father parked his car and I opened the door, slowly getting out. I stared at the house that I apparently live in. It was a regular two-story house, windows covered from the inside with curtains and the front double doors closed. Without knocking, my mom entered the house and waved for me to follow her in. I stared at the cozy living room, the fireplace empty and the couches neat and tidy as it surrounded a coffee table.

The dining table wasn't too far and there were two plates unwashed, together with two pairs of utensils. Mom irritatedly piled the plates and grabbed the spoons and forks, muttering angrily about how she should teach the girls how to wash their own dishes. My step-father led me upstairs where there was a family room with a television and an old computer. There were more couches and a few bookshelves. A curly-haired girl was laying upside-down on one of the couches as she held a book high above her face.

Her head turned when she heard our loud footsteps and she dropped her book, making it fall on her face. Cursing angrily, she hastily sat upright and properly and the couch.

"You're back," she said to me, her voice empty.

I didn't say anything but I gave her a stiff nod. She stood up and walked briskly towards a door which must have led to her own room. The second she disappeared inside, my step-father led me to my own door.

I was back in secondary school the next day. There was a nice secondary school outside the village where I used to go to with Teddy, who is a year younger than me. Apparently, it's my last year there and I was studying for this big exam to get in some university.

Everything felt new to me as I walked the hallways of the school. I passed people who turned to their friends and whispered things in their ears, pointing directly at me. I got irritated after the tenth time and flipped my middle finger at the pair who both had their fingers pointing at me. Didn't they know it was rude to point?

I'd see the boy called Liam and his other friends in class sometimes. They were usually seated at the back of the classroom and the seat beside Liam would always be empty. I would stare at it sometimes, wondering why nobody wanted to sit there. I would sit in front, listening hard to the teachers as they spoke. I wanted to catch up with everyone and thankfully, it wasn't too hard. I understood the lessons easily and it felt nice. I would catch the group in the back giving me odd looks whenever I answered a question correctly.

After two weeks of school, I was easily one of the best in class. Reading the hospital helped a lot as well. I remembered my mother bringing my books from home, telling me to start reading so I'd catch up with everyone. It made my life in school a whole lot easier. Although, it wasn't only Liam's group giving me odd groups whenever I aced a test. More and more people were noticing me getting better everyday and they looked at me as though I was possessed. I didn't know what their problem was.

I was a bit of an outcast in school as well. I ate in the same table during lunch everyday and all I had for company were my school books. Nobody, not even Teddy, came to sit with me. I didn't mind either. I didn't know any of them. I preferred being alone all the time than trying to get to know everyone again when it was obvious that I used to know them.

I rarely saw Vivian at home. Whenever I was with her in a room, she'd immediately run out. It didn't bother me as much as I thought it would but I got sorta irritated after a week.

I didn't know who I was before my accident but hopefully, I didn't really change much. I cant imagine myself not the best in class. I cant imagine myself being the popular kid with a lot of friends. I cant imagine myself being rebellious or talkative. I was perfectly fine with being the reserved and quite smart guy sitting alone. Nobody bothered me and I was thankful for that.

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><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

"I cant take it anymore!" Florence screamed when she entered the common room. A few students looked up from the books (probably for the first time since they started) to shush her. "I cant handle the stress! I cant remember anything I studied about yesterday!"

She burst into tears and ran up to the dormitory. The silence took over the common room once again and everyone turned back to their books, taking in everything they could, hoping they'd remember all that for the last O.W.L. tomorrow which was Transfiguration.

I didn't go up to comfort Florence only because she does the same thing everyday and in five minutes, she'll be going down those steps and she'll join me in studying in silence. We had Defense Against the Dark Arts today and I had a tough time. Hopefully, I'd be able to get at least an A. Merlin knows what'll happen to me if I get a D.

After reading the same sentence thrice in my head, I frustratedly slammed my Transfiguration book shut and stood up, pushing my chair back. It made a loud noise and I received a few glares and hisses. I knew that the library should be full right now but I really didn't care. I needed to find the helpful Transfiguration book I found a few weeks ago. It had notes on some of our lessons that would be very helpful for the exam. I hid it somewhere in the shelves and I do hope it's still there.

When I stepped out of the common room, I nearly bumped into a furious Lily Evans.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I apologized immediately.

Lily and I aren't really friends but I know her and she knows me. I remember her telling me to sit with her and her friends during breakfast but I've never really done that before. There's just been so much in my mind that the offer slipped out of my head. So much things have been going on and I just want everything to stop. Something's up back home in Maryfields and it's about Spencer. I didn't send Teddy back a message because I knew she still wouldn't tell me. I didn't send Mr. and Mrs. Potter a letter either because I was too shy to ask them about it.

Regulus still wasn't talking to me. I'd see him in the Great Hall or in the hallways at times but we did nothing but look into each other's eyes for two seconds and he'll turn back to his friends. I got angry at him from time to time. He didn't have the courage to say no to all his friends. Why couldn't he have that kind of courage? Well, he's a Slytherin. I don't see the word courageous in their list of adjectives.

The look on Lily's face was so angry that I wanted to crawl up to my dormitory and hid under my blankets. When she saw me though, the furious look in her emerald eyes softened and she sighed.

"It's fine," she said with a tiny smile. "It was my fault. I should have watched where I was going."

"Are- Are you okay?" I asked timidly, not really knowing why I was asking her that. We weren't friends. We barely knew each other. I should just walk away and leave her to it.

Lily opened her mouth several times and closed it several times too. After about a minute of silence, she finally spoke.

"My friend, Severus," she said quietly. "He called me a Mudblood a while ago. I'm surprised you weren't there. A lot of people were."

"He called you Mudblood?" I said, shocked. "That's…. really not so nice of him." I finished lamely.

"It's not," Lily said, shaking her head with a small chuckle. "It's all right, really. I don't think I should hangout with him much anymore. Not a lot of people really know that I'm friends with him because we just see each other after school a few times but he was my first magical friend. He told me about this world. I've known him for so long. We're neighbors, you see? It really hurts to hear him say that to me. I thought that even if we're from completely different houses, we'd still be able to stay in touch and be friends. I thought he wouldn't change. He _has_ changed. A lot. I should have noticed it sooner. Why am I even telling you this?"

I shrugged. "You needed to tell someone and I'm right here. It's fine, Lily. I have a friend from Slytherin too. Well, I _had_ one. If you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me if you want. I mean, if Marlene is practicing Quidditch or if Alice is already asleep."

"Thanks," she said, smiling bigger now. "That breakfast offer still stands you know. I've noticed that something's been bothering you too. I'm good at noticing things, I guess. I always notice if something's bothering Marlene or Alice. If you need someone to talk to and your friend is out, I'm always here."

"Thank you," I replied. "That's really nice of you. Anyway, I have head to the library. Good luck on the O.W.L. tomorrow."

With one last wave, I ran down the numerous staircases that led towards the library. I passed familiar hallways and doors and after another turn, I nearly bumped into a tall, blue-eyed boy with messy hair that could give James Potter's a run for its money.

"Whoa, so sorry." he apologized quickly, smiling. He was about to walk away as though nothing happened but without thinking, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back in front of me. His eyebrows furrowed and he stared at me, confused. "Er… Can I help you, miss?"

"You're Alex," I said lamely.

His eyes flickered towards his right and turned back to me in less that a second. An amused smile was on his face and his eyebrows raised slightly.

"Yeah, that's me," he said. "You all right? Ya look pretty shocked there."

He doesn't know me? But… I know him! He saved me! How can he not remember that? Sure, I haven't really talked to him since last school year…. I haven't even really seen him around…

"It's me, Cassie," I told him. "Cassie Hunter. Fourth year; you caught me up in the astronomy tower and you're the reason why I actually stood up to James Potter in the first place!"

Realization appeared on his face with a wide grin and I sighed, smiling and finally letting go of his arm.

"Right, Cassie Hunter! Of course, how could I forget you?"

His voice was much deeper than I remembered it to be. Of course, he grew taller too. He's one of those guys who grow so tall in an early age. He's probably thirteen or twelve years old.

"I haven't seen you in a while," I said. "How are you?"

"Oh, em doing all right!" he said cheerfully as he grinned, digging his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "Just finished m'last exam today and hopefully, I get at least half o' them correct."

He's speaking so differently too. How in the world can he grow that fast? He's also grinning too much. I stopped the frown forming on my face. There was something fishy going on here.

"Is there anything going on?" I asked curiously. "You look really happy."

"Oh, nothing's going on, really," he said, still grinning like mad. I think I saw his eyes flick somewhere behind me but the action was so fast that I almost missed it. "Just been a good day. You know, I think I forgot something in the common room. It was nice seeing you again, Cassia."

"Cassie!" I snapped. "My name is Cassie!"

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled, before turning and walking away.

"Wait, I'm not yet done with you!" I said angrily, walking briskly to him and grabbing his arm. "What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on. Look, lass, I don't know you," he shot back, his eyes once again flicking towards something behind me but I don't take my eyes off him.

"Yes, you do! You do know me!"

"Look, I don't know you all right. You're better off not knowing me or any Slytherin for that matter. Not me, not Regulus-"

He stopped, his face getting whiter.

"Did you say Regulus?" I hissed. "What does he have to do with this, Alex? Are you part of them too? What's going on?"

"Nothing is going on," he insisted, desperation in his voice. "Please, just leave. Pretend we never met and act normal. I really have to go."

In a second, he was gone. I was alone in the hallway. For the first time since I started to talk to Alex Greengrass, I turned around, wondering if he really was looking at something behind my back as I stared at him. I couldn't see anyone there but I somehow, I knew someone else was there. Someone was hiding. I didn't want to find out who it was though so I kept walking to the library, trying to forget everything that just happened.

* * *

><p><em>And things are heating up with the Slytherins. Will Cassie ever figure out what was really going on with Alex Greengrass? Maybe she'll need her best friend, Florence Flanagan for this job. And what's with Spencer losing not knowing almost everything about his life? Was his accident really that severe?<em>

_"Heck, we've been waiting for weeks and I thought you were dead!" -Teddy Abrams, Live To Die, Chapter Eighteen, Forgive And Forget_

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><p><em><strong>Replies to Anonymous reviewers (to everyone else, please scroll down):<strong>  
><em>

_**AG: That's really nice of you to say about my writing. You didn't expect Spencer to get into an accident and lose his memory, you mean? Yeah, it wasn't something I really planned but I thought about it once or twice. I guess I finally put it into words in the last chapter. It was really cruel of me to do that to him but what's done is done... It will definitely open up loads of possibilities. Thanks for the review, love!**_

_**Kassidy Mercer: I'm glad you liked it! Here's the next one. Hope you give me your feedback on it. :)**_

_**Siriuslove: Aw, that's really nice of you! You don't really have to review and it's amazing that people really do have the time to type me one. Here's the new chapter and I hope you like it. :)**_

_**Lizaluvsdoggies: Well, hello there! Thanks for the review and yes, it was cruel of me to do that to Spencer but I had to. I didn't plan it but I did think about it and I thought it would be a nice twist to the story. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one too. It's tearful BUT I did have to make it like that because I'm pretty sure anyone else would act the same if their loved one forgot all about them. Thanks again!**_

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><p><strong>A chapter filled with tears but hey, Spencer forgetting them hit them really hard. The story's getting pretty dramatic now and I hope it'll take a nice happy turn soon. :)<strong>

**Tell me what you think, lovelies!**

**_(I just need to express my happiness here... If you watch American Idol and you love Phillip Phillips, we can be best friends! So glad he won! Jessica was good too though. Oh, Phillip you gorgeous son of a... Okay, that's it. Just needed to type that_** **_in...)_**


	20. Home Alone

**Home Alone**

_Rule #15: Have your wand at all times._

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><p>Two years. I've been in that castle for two bloody years and it just felt like a few months. I'll be back there on the first of September for my sixth year. Sixth year. I couldn't help but feel excited. I'd be able to drop some classes. Obviously, I'd drop the minor classes and History of Magic. I remember talking about some careers with Professor McGonagall a week before O.W.L.'s started. I had absolutely no idea what I wanted. Maybe I could be a Healer or an employee in the Ministry of Magic. Maybe I could work for Gringotts or travel the world and discover new things about the magical world. So many choices yet I had no idea which one to choose.<p>

I still had two years though. Two years to figure out what I wanted to become. In the mean time, I'll take most of the regular classes for sixth and seventh year. Of course, I'll need to get above average grades for those. O.W.L.s weren't easy but I think I studied enough to get at least an Acceptable. Hopefully, I'd get an Exceeds Expectations as well. If I'm lucky, I'd be able to get an Outstanding. I highly doubt that though.

Even though I knew I was coming back in a few weeks, I couldn't help but sigh sadly when the Hogwarts castle disappeared behind some mountains. The train took another turn and I couldn't even see the mountains blocking the castle anymore.

So, I was there in a compartment in the Hogwarts Express, thinking about summer. I was heading back to the Potter Manor for sure but I wasn't really looking forward to going back there. Christmas in Maryfields is stunning and amazing. I actually enjoyed it there with the beautiful Christmas lights that lit most of the houses and the booming Christmas music I would hear as I walked through the streets under my winter coat.

Summer in Maryfields, however, can be quite boring. We don't go to vacations because Mr. and Mrs. Potter are extremely busy with work so I was stuck outside the house since James didn't want me inside when his friends are visiting. Maybe I'll visit the Teddy and Spencer. Oh, Merlin, Spencer!

My eyes widened when I realized that I haven't even thought about Spencer on my way back to Maryfields. He's supposed to be the reason why I should be excited to come back. I'd be able to see if he's doing fine and if his injuries have healed. I wasn't very close with the boy and I haven't really gotten to know him well but I cared a great deal about him. Him and his family. Teddy had mentioned something about Spencer in the letter she gave me last February in Hogwarts. Is he alright now? It's been a while since she sent that letter so maybe he's already healed…

The whole ride back to King's Cross consisted with me trying to pay attention to Florence explain a bunch of things she learned about the Marauders when she was eavesdropping on their conversations. I tried my best to pay attention but I had to wake up early this morning to fix my stuff. I was slowly falling asleep when she mentioned the Whomping Willow and James, Sirius and Peter in the hospital wing every month.

In fact, I did fall asleep and Florence shook me awake when we arrived in the platform. With one last hug, Florence and I said our tearful goodbyes and I had to watch her fiery red hair and strange big bright orange glasses disappear in the crowd. I dragged my own trunk to Mr. and Mrs. Potter who were waving me over. James was standing beside them, taking a bite from the chocolate bar he was holding and chewing it, his eyes bored and sleepy as he watched me come over.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter gave me a hug and we all apparated to the Potter Manor, me holding on to Mr. Potter and James to his mother. The familiar living room was the first thing I saw when I could finally breathe again. Apparating was definitely not my favorite way to travel. I guess you could say that I prefer using floo powder. I grabbed my trunk and dragged it all the way upstairs to my room.

Of course, Mrs. Potter just had to say the one thing that I never wanted to hear ever again.

"You're sleeping in James' room, sweetie!" she called after me as I walked up the stairs. "You're not moving out of there until you two settle your differences."

Muttering angrily, I picked up the pace and tried running upstairs while dragging my trunk. When I finally reached my floor, I pulled James' door open and dropped my trunk inside.

"What're you doing here?" James asked, him laying down on his bed with his own Quaffle in his hands.

"Why do you think there's another bed over there?" I snapped, pointing to the mattress on the floor, complete with pillows and blankets.

"Bloody Merlin, I thought that was for Sirius," he muttered, angrily tossing his Quaffle up and catching it before it hit his chest. The action reminded me of Spencer with his baseball.

Spencer. Could I go to his house now? Will they be home? It's summer vacation so they'll probably be home, right? Smiling, I exited James' room but before I could run down the stairs, his call stopped me.

"Hey!" he said, running to outside to the hallway. "Are you going to Spencer's?"

"Yes," I replied.

"I'll come with you," he said quickly, running back inside his room and coming out with a navy blue sweater. He pulled it on over his tee and I frowned at him.

"It's summer."

"It looks like it's about to rain," he said simply, running down the stairs. "Well, come on!" he called.

Rolling my eyes, I followed him downstairs and we passed by Mr. and Mrs. Potter in the living room.

"Whoa, there. Not so fast you two," Mrs. Potter said before we could exit the house. James and I stopped and turned around. "Come here and sit with us. There's something you should know."

Slowly, I walked towards the couch in front of the one Mr. and Mrs. Potter were sitting on. James sat on one of the rocking chairs by the coffee table. Mr. and Mrs. Potter exchanged worried glances before turning back to us. Mrs. Potter took a deep breath and looked at James straight in the eye.

"James, your friend Spencer has amnesia," she sighed.

"Amnesia?" James muttered confusedly. "That means-"

"He's lost some of his memory," I finished, wide-eyed. "How much did he lose?"

"Almost all actually," Mr. Potter said sadly, looking down.

"Almost all?" I said, panicking. "Was the accident really that bad?"

"That's why we had to call you here," Mrs. Potter said, her voice cracking. "To tell you that his accident wasn't the only reason why he's lost almost all of his memories. James, you know-"

"It's because we obliviated him, isn't it?" James interrupted, his own voice cracking and his eyes filled with worry and guilt.

"We didn't know this would happen, James," Mr. Potter told him. "We didn't know that obliviating him would affect his head in the future if he got into an accident like this. They used the memory charm and put in false memories in his head. Both charms made the brain damage worse when he got into this accident. It's never happened before."

"We're sorry," Mrs. Potter choked back a sob. "This was our fault and it's so hard to see Rosie and the kids nowadays, knowing that we were responsible for making the brain damage worse."

"It wasn't any of your faults," I said quietly, still trying to let everything they explained sink in.

"We cant use magic to fix this either," Mr. Potter said. "Even if we tried, that would be against the Ministry rules. We're going to have to erase his memory again and possibly make the damage even worse."

"You can visit his home," Mrs. Potter added in. "I think Teddy would appreciate that. I'm not sure if you can see Spencer though. He doesn't remember anyone. Not even his own family. I have coffee with Rosie during my free mornings and she's explained to me a few details."

"You can go ahead," James mumbled, standing up. "I'm in the mood to go out anymore."

And with that, he walked back upstairs. As soon as he disappeared upstairs, I stood up and thanked Mr. and Mrs. Potter for sharing what they knew. I left the house, Mrs. Potter calling after me and telling me to come home before the sun set. I still had about two hours. I walked briskly to the park. It wasn't too far and when I was finally there, I saw the familiar dark blonde hair of Vivian Thomson, picking flowers from her front garden.

I crossed the street and slowly made my way towards her. I crouched down beside her and picked a lovely red flower. I saw her turn her head and her brown eyes were blank and empty. A small smile appeared on her face but it didn't reach her eyes. She must be really hurt that Spencer didn't remember her. I felt a sharp pang of sadness in my heart and I just wanted to pull her in a hug and never let her go.

"You're back," she whispered.

"Yeah, I am," I said, lifting the red flower and tucking it behind her ear. "How have you been? I heard about what happened to Spencer."

"He's inside," she said simply, turning back to the flowers.

I didn't talk to her after that. I watched her pick her favorite flowers, mostly the red one that I picked for her. I stood up, ready to leave. I shouldn't have come. Spencer's family was obviously hurting and I don't think they're in the mood to entertain guests at the moment. I turned around and I was just about to start cross the street before I heard a familiar voice call my name. It was soft and quiet but I still heard it clearly. I almost didn't recognize her when I heard her speak. She sounded so distant and depressed. It was so unlike her.

I turned around and saw Teddy, her hazel eyes big and emotionless as she stared at me. Her brown hair was longer than how I remembered it back them during Christmas and it was tied back in a fishtail braid down until her lower back. She offered me a small smile which I returned. I took a few steps forward, hesitating before every step. When I finally reached her, she pulled me in a hug, thanking me for coming.

"I can go home if I'm intruding," I said when we let go of each other.

"No, don't," she replied. "Please, could you see him?"

"Me?" I blinked.

"You haven't known each other for a long time but it's worth a shot," she sighed.

"He wont remember me," I mumbled.

She gave me a soft smile and patted my arm. "I have to warn you though," she said. "He's closing everyone off and he doesn't like meeting new people that he supposedly knew before his accident. If he starts to try to hurt you or yells at you to go away, just call me. I'll be outside."

"He tried hurting people?" I said, eyes wide.

"It's getting worse too," she said quietly, glancing at Vivian, who was still picking flowers rather quietly. I knew she was listening. "He's getting crazier everyday. He's closing himself off and he spends the whole day in his room. Sometimes, I'd hear him talking to himself, like he's comforting himself. I'd wake up to him screaming too. He's having nightmares. He never used to have nightmares."

So altering his memories really did do something to his head. I couldn't help but feel guilty even though I didn't even know him when him and James were friends. He's gone mental and I wanted to dig up a whole, step inside and stay there forever. I cant imagine how Mrs. Abrams would feel about this. Vivian wasn't taking this too well either.

I cant imagine how Spencer may feel, locked in his room and inside a house, living with people he barely knew. I hope he trusted them at least. They were his family. He had to at least know that.

"You still want me to see him?" I asked Teddy.

She nodded and pulled me in the house. It was just how it was months ago when I was here. She led me upstairs and too soon, I was in front of the familiar wooden door that led to Spencer's room. It was silent and I couldn't hear anything from inside. I turned to Teddy.

"Are you sure he's not asleep?" I said.

"He's not," she said grimly. "He doesn't like to sleep anymore."

Of course. Because of his nightmares. I immediately felt bad for him. I knew how it felt to have nightmares almost every night. I don't know if mine was as bad as his though. Sure, I'd wake up, gasping and screaming, because I saw my father kill my mother, aunts, uncles and cousins sometimes but I didn't really know what Spencer dreamed about. I asked Teddy this and she sighed heavily.

"He doesn't want to tell anyone," she said. "Like I said before, he's closed himself off. He doesn't let anyone in anymore. He doesn't want to talk to anyone. Go on in. Remember, if he tries to hurt you or _anything_, actually, just call me."

Nodding stiffly, I twisted the doorknob and entered the room. Closing the door behind me, I examined it. It was much tidier than I remembered. The floor was clean, the books were properly arranged on the desk. On the bed was Spencer. He laying down comfortably, his back against his pillow and his legs stretched out, crossed. He held a book in his hands and his hazel eyes were glued to it. The sound of the door snapping shut, though, made him look up.

"Who are you?" he asked quietly. I could see his hands shaking and he held his book so hard, I thought he was going to rip it in half. "Did I used to know you too? Everyone here says a lot. They say I knew a lot of people. But I don't. I don't know any of you. I don't. I don't. I _don't_."

"Spencer," I started, hoping he wouldn't raise his voice again. "I'm Cassie Hunter."

"I don't know you," he said. "Who are you and what are you doing in my room?"

"We knew each other," I said simply. "We did, Spence. Think about it. Please, just try."

"What makes you think I would remember you when I cant even remember my damn family?" he hissed.

I was hurt by his comment but I didn't let it show. He didn't mean it. He wasn't in the right head.

"I live with the Potters."

"The Potters?" he sat up immediately, his hazel eyes growing wider. "You know the Potters? They sent me food. The Potters."

"You met me at the park," I continued. "You were asking these ridiculous questions and I was irritated at you at first. I warmed up to you though."

"I didn't meet anyone in the park except…" he trailed off, staring blankly at the opposite wall.

I was shocked. He was about to say something. He remembered something. I felt like grinning and dancing happily but I didn't. Instead, I walked a few steps closer to him, my green eyes wide.

"Except who?" I said softly.

"He's a boy," he said thoughtfully. He was opening up to me. Probably because I mentioned the park. Something about that place triggered something in his head. "He's always in my dreams. I don't know his name. He looks young. He shouts a lot. I saw Teddy too. He shouted at her too. He shouted at me. None of these made sense."

Oh Merlin. The one person he actually remembered. It couldn't be him…

"What does he look like, Spencer?" I said, trying not to sound too demanding. He might thing wrongly of me and try to hurt me. I had to keep him calm. It's the only way to get some answers from him.

"Black hair," he said quietly. "He wears glasses."

"James Potter," I said alarmingly, standing straighter.

Then, he lost it.

"_DONT YOU DARE SAY THAT NAME_!" Spencer screamed throwing his book at me. I ducked, just in time before it hit my face. "_DONT YOU FUCKING DARE! SHUT UP!_"

He sat up and he was about to pounce on me.

"_Teddy_!" I called, extremely frightened.

Teddy immediately entered the room and ran over to Spencer. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back to his bed. He struggled, trying to push Teddy off him and possibly, attack me.

"Cassie, get out!" Teddy ordered.

Nodding, I left the room as quickly as possible. Without even thinking about waiting for Teddy to leave the room or telling her everything that happened in there, I ran down the stairs, breathing quickly. I sprinted out of the house and back to mine.

* * *

><p>"This was worse than I thought it would be," Mr. Potter said, pacing the living room.<p>

"He only remembers James?" Mrs. Potter panicked.

"We have to call the Ministry, Dorea."

"You know how risky that is, Charlus. We don't know what will happen to the boy when we try to put even more magic into his head," Mrs. Potter explained somberly.

"He might remember what James said!" Mr. Potter snapped.

"I think he's having mixed dreams," I added in quietly. Both Mr. and Mrs. Potter snapped their heads towards me. "I think he's dreaming of some moments when he was screaming at James but he thinks it's the other way around. The obliviators really did mess up his memory, didn't they?"

"The magic is causing him to get all of this," Mrs. Potter said. "We erased some but altered most of his memories."

"Do you think he'll get better?" I asked.

Mr. Potter looked up at me, his eyes weary and his smile weak.

"We don't know," he said.

"I'm going upstairs. Just call me if you need me," I mumbled, getting up from the sofa I was sitting on and running up the stairs.

I reached my floor and threw James' door open. I stepped in and slammed the door shut behind me. James was laying down on his own bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. I gulped, not knowing how to explain to him what happened to his old friend. I don't know he still cared about him or not. I'm not even sure if he'd want to know. Before I could make a move towards my bed on the floor, his head snapped to my direction.

"You went there?" he asked.

"Yes," I said quietly.

"What happened?"

And I explained to him what really happened to Spencer. How he didn't really fall very hard and was expected to forget only the most recent events and a few things about himself. How the magic messed up his brain and made him forget everything about his life and his memories about him and James kept showing up in his dreams. When I finished, James was speechless. He turned his head towards the ceiling again and took in deep breaths.

That night, we didn't talk. I talked to Mr. and Mrs. Potter during supper but James remained quiet. For the rest of the night in his room, he was quiet. It was odd, seeing him like that when I knew he was one of the loudest people I have ever met.

Days passed and it was usually only James and me inside the house. None of his friends visited and I didn't really know why. We didn't talk much either. It was usually only during meals where he asks me to pass the food. I didn't really want to talk to him either so I didn't really care about the silent treatment he was giving me. Sometimes, I'd forget he was in the house.

One day, Mr. Potter announced to us in the dinner table that he was allowed to bring one child to work. This way, the child would be able to see how things work in the Ministry and possibly work for them in the future. I told Mr. Potter that he may take James and leave me in the house. This way, I'd be the only one here and I'll have some alone time. Mr. Potter tried telling me he would try to bend the rules a little and bring us both but I politely told him not to because it might just get him in trouble. Reluctantly, he agreed to bring only James and I was alone in the house for a day.

Mrs. Potter left me some food to eat for lunch and dinner. It was a nice peaceful day and I was glad that I was alone to relax. I'd sleep in the afternoon and fly a bit after waking up. At night, I grabbed some food from the kitchen and ate in silence. It was raining pretty hard that night and I could hear the thunder from outside and the flash of light from the lightning filled the room for less than a second. It was pretty chilly after a while and I grabbed a sweater and set myself in front of the crackling fire in the living room.

I was just about to get myself a mug on hot chocolate when I heard a loud knock on the door. I froze, my eyes widening. My wand was upstairs in my room and I wished I brought it down with me. Three consecutive knocks echoed inside the house once again and I took a few steps towards the front door. From the corner of my eye, I could see the gate closing automatically from the window. I wish I could see whoever it was behind the door.

Again, three faster knocks echoed inside the house and I gulped, moving faster towards the front door. My hand was shaking when I held the handle and finally, I twisted it and pulled it open.

A loud scream escaped my mouth and I fell backwards. I landed hard on my backside and I tried to let the name of the person standing in front of me sink in my head.

Sirius Black. It was him but he looked so different. His silvery eyes glowed bright in the moonlight and his skin was white as sheet. His dark hair laid flat and soaked on his head and it was a lot shorter than I thought it was. He was shivering and he tightly gripped his coat around him. Beside him was his trunk. I briefly wondered why it was there with him.

I felt terrified when I laid my eyes on him because he looked like a ghost. Now that I let everything sink in, I realized that he was indeed freezing and he needed to get inside soon unless he gets even more sick.

I stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him inside the house. I almost dropped his hand after the first second. It was cold as ice and numb. I felt guilty for letting him stay outside longer when I should have dragged him in when I first saw him. I made him sit in front of the fire, on the sofa I was sitting on before he knocked. I ran back outside to get his trunk and closed the door behind me. I briskly walked towards the cabinet close by and grabbed a fluffy white towel and a thick blanket inside it.

When I dropped it on the sofa, Sirius immediately grabbed them both and swung them over his shoulders. Panicking a bit, I ran to the kitchen, grabbed two mugs and made some hot chocolate. He accepted his mug greatly and took in huge gulps. I sat on one of the other chairs around the fire and I sipped from my own drink.

"Are you all right?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he answered with a sigh after drinking in another mouthful of hot chocolate. "Thanks for this. It was pretty cold."

"You were freezing," I stated.

He shrugged and finished his drink.

"Can I ask why you came here?"

"I ran away from home," he said, his voice shaking slightly in anger. "Bloody parents. I've had enough of them. I grabbed my trunk and ran out of the house before they could chase me. I signaled the Knight Bus and I told them to take me to your village. I didn't know your street so they just dropped me off the village's entrance. I walked here. It took longer than I expected. I had to go through some pretty long streets to finally find yours. It was raining the whole time too. Good thing I brought a coat with me. It didn't really make much of a difference though."

"James isn't home," I blurted out. "I'm the only one here. Mr. Potter brought him to the Ministry for the day and Mrs. Potter is in work. They don't come home until later at night."

"Sorry for the trouble," he mumbled.

"No, it's fine!" I immediately said. "I'm sure James would be thrilled to see you here."

"I just needed a place to stay until I'm good to get my own."

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter would love you to stay here," I assured him. "They're the most welcoming people that I know. Plus, James is your best friend. He wouldn't take no for an answer from them. Anyway, I'm pretty sure they'd say yes. It was really nice of them to let me in after my dad joined the Death Eaters. They knew I'd be crying all the time at night or maybe even day. They still let me in even though me crying annoyed them to the fullest. Well, at least, James. I cry like some sort of whining seal." I chuckled and took another sip from my drink.

He gave me a weak smile and stared directly at my eyes. Suddenly, a crease formed in between his eyebrows. He was thinking about something but I really didn't know what. He narrowed his eyes as he stared into mine then it snapped upwards. He looked at me from top to bottom until his finally lifted his chin up again and looked directly at my eyes. A frown was present on my face as I wondered what the hell he was thinking about.

"You were that girl," he whispered, his eyes widening. "I knew it. It _was_ you! How come I didn't realize this before? Your dad joined the Death Eaters, for Merlin's sake! I should have realized it when I heard James say it!"

What was he talking about? I had no idea what the hell he was saying. I was that girl. What girl? He stood up and took a few steps towards me.

"In the common room in fourth year," he started. "You had different hair but that was you. I know it was you."

Then it hit me. He was talking about that time when Mr. Potter told me about my father and I cried for the whole week in the common room at night. He caught me there once and we ended up talking. He cheered me up. He's the reason why I got to control myself more during the coming weeks. I didn't want him to find out that he was talking to me because I knew he'd just regret it and since I was me, I thought he'd tell me that I deserved a family member like that.

I immediately stood up and stepped back from him.

"That wasn't me," I said.

"It was you," he said with a nod. "I know it was. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't me," I pressed on.

"It was!" he snapped. "Just answer the fucking question, dammit!"

I didn't realize that as he walked towards me, I was walking back until I hit the wall. He was right in front of me now and his eyes looked down at me, wide with both confusion and realization. I cant believe he found out. There was no point lying to him anymore.

"I didn't tell you because it was me," I said weakly. "You wouldn't want to know that you were in the common room at night with me. You wouldn't want to hear anything about my life. When you realize that it was actually me in there, you'd immediately hate yourself for actually having a civil conversation with me and use the information I told you against me. I knew you'd tell everyone once I told you that I was the one you comforted in the common room. You'd tell James, Peter and Remus. You'd tell the whole school."

"You thought I would do that?" he asked, genuinely hurt.

"Wouldn't you?" I shot back.

"Of course, I bloody wouldn't!" he snapped. "I wouldn't do that to anyone! Fine, maybe Snape but he's a git."

"What?" I said, confused. "What do you mean you wouldn't do that?"

"I have people who are Death Eaters in my family too, Hunter!" he said. "Did you ever think about that? I have cousins who are on the newspaper everyday! I wouldn't do that to you because you're the one person who I can actually relate with who isn't a Slytherin!"

"You'd tell James," I said quietly. "I know you would."

"Not if he's going to tell the whole world about it," he said. "Yeah, I thought him telling the whole school about your father was entertaining a bit and the look on your face was priceless but I was fourteen! James and I were fourteen!"

"Are you saying you've matured?" I spat. "You haven't bloody matured! All fifth year, you and James have been cursing first years because you can and bullying them into giving you guys some extra money! Honestly, I don't give two craps about you you curse but telling me that you've matured sort of pisses me off when you've spent half your time planning the pranks you pull on me!"

"That was in fourth year! Last time I checked, we hadn't laid a finger on you in fifth year!"

I took in a deep breath and exhaled heavily. He was standing right in front of me and was dripping on the Potters' carpet. He didn't seem to notice this though. He was angrily staring at me.

"Do you seriously think that low of me?" he said quietly.

"Quite," I said dryly.

We stared blankly at each other for a few seconds then he opened his mouth to speak again. Before he could say anything else, though, I heard someone shouting from outside. Shouting my name. I ran to the window and squinted at the gate. There was definitely someone there. Someone waving both hands up and calling my name to catch my attention.

* * *

><p><em>Now they know erasing and altering a Muggle's memory isn't much of a good idea after all. Now that Sirius knows that the odd girl crying in the common room during his fourth year was Cassie, things should get more interesting. And who's the person calling Cassie under the rain? Let's just say it's sort of a surprise. For Cassie, at least.<em>

_"Who's the fit bloke with James Potter?" -Lacey, Live To Die, Chapter Eighteen, Forgive And Forget_

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><p><em><strong>Answers to Anonymous reviewers: (To everyone else, please scroll down)<strong>  
><em>

_**AG: Here's the new chapter. I wanted to show everyone in the last chapter how it felt for Spencer when he woke up , not knowing anything. Thanks for reviewing! :)**_

_**Waiting for an update: Here ya go, love! Did the last chapter seem like it ended in a cliffhanger? Wow, so sorry. This didn't start directly from where it ended but I hope you like it. Thanks for reviewing! :)**_

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><p><em><strong><strong>_**Hello, lovelies! So, their fifth year is finished and I rushed it a bit. I'm so sorry if it seemed obvious that I picked up the pace but they still have two more years and I'm really not a fan of stories that go overboard with the chapters unless it's really needed. :/ I know I'm a bit slow with the romance but I'll try to pick up the pace with that too! Sirius finding out about Cassie should be a start. Tell me what you think in a review! :)**

**Who do you think is the person outside calling Cassie's name under the rain?**


	21. Out Of Town

**Out Of Town**

_Rule #16: It's always best to sneak out early in the morning._

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><p>I couldn't let her in. No way was I going to pull a James and tell a Muggle what I was. But it was freezing out there. Why the hell was she here? We weren't even close. Not in the slightest. I met her once. I met her once and we didn't even have a proper conversation that time. I remembered her face though. I knew her name. I recognized the red hair that was now soaking wet and stringy. She wore nothing but a pair of jeans, sneakers and a green tee.<p>

"Who the fuck is that?" Sirius mumbled.

Ignoring him, I ran to the front door, pulled it open and ran into the rain. I could hear him calling my name, telling me to come back but I don't. I keep running until I'm at the gate and I grab the railings, shaking it and wanting it to open. I didn't know how to open them. Only Mr. and Mrs. Potter knew how when there's a Muggle on the other side.

"What are you you doing here?" I shouted, hoping she could hear me in the rain.

"Cassie!" she breathed out in relief, running towards me and grabbing the same pair of rails I was holding. Her dark brown eyes were wide and alert. "It's me, Christine! We met before in Liam's house!"

"I remember you!" I said.

She smiled slightly but it was gone as quickly as it came. "Do you know where they went?"

"Where who went?" I frowned.

"Spencer and Teddy!" she shouted. "They're gone!"

If I wasn't pale already because of the cold, I was pale then when Christine said that Spencer and Teddy were gone. I could feel my heart beating faster and a look of surprise and worry flashed across my face. They couldn't be gone. They couldn't. They were my life away from my own world. They reminded me of the fact that there was still a peaceful world out there. A world without You-Know-Who. A world without Death Eaters. A world without my father. I can go as far as saying that they're one of the reasons why I live with all my problems in life. They make me want to be normal. They make me want to leave my world of magic and live a nice normal Muggle life. Their ignorance and care-free attitude makes me want to be them, no troubles in life and just teenager stuff.

"You're lying," I croaked, staring desperately at Christine.

"I visited their house a while ago," she said. "Their house. It was empty."

"No!" I shouted. "It's not! They're still there!"

"Hunter!" someone called. "Hunter, hey!"

Sirius grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away from the gate. I didn't let him and gripped the railings harder.

"It's freezing out here!" he hissed, trying to pull me again.

"Do you know how to open this gate?" I asked quickly.

Christine shot me a confused look, obviously wondering why I didn't even know how to open my own gate.

"Yeah, why?" Sirius frowned.

"Open it," I ordered.

"Wha- No! You cant-"

"Open it!" I hissed.

Sirius' eyes widened and bent down, grabbing one of the rails. He whispered something inaudible and they sprung open. Christine was too busy staring up at the sky to notice. Thank Merlin.

I pushed the gate open and sprinted out to the street. Christine and Sirius were running after me. I let them. I didn't want to waste time and convince them to head back. Good thing the park wasn't too far away. It was my trademark of the Abrams' house. When I finally reached it, I squinted through the rain and saw that the house was dark and there was no car parked. Frowning, I ran past the street and tried to pull the front door open. It was locked.

Sirius and Christine had finally rested me and Sirius pulled me away from the door. I turned to the garden where there were still flowers but most of them had already wilted. There were a few of the red ones that I used to pick for Vivian and I bent down, pulling one out of the ground.

"Go home!" Christine shouted over the rain. "You guys are freezing! They're gone! I was hear earlier! The door wasn't locked then!"

Furiously, I shook my head. I threw the red flower I was holding to the wet ground and it landed with a splat. I ran to the front door of the Abrams' house and tried to pull the door open once again. After the fourth try, I turned to Sirius.

"Open it!" I ordered.

"This is ridiculous!" he shouted. "Let's go home!"

"I said _open_ it!" I screamed at him.

Sighing heavily, he reached for the thin hair clip that prevented my hair from covering my face. He pulled it out and bended it a few times. He was doing it really fast and I couldn't really see how he was doing it. It was obvious that this wasn't the first time he's done this. He kneeled down in front of the front door and put the pin in the lock. After a few seconds, we heard a click and the door sprung open. Relieved, I pushed the door open and ran inside, not caring that I was probably going to wet the whole place since I was soaked.

You could describe the inside of the house in one word and it could mean so much things. Empty. There was nothing. It was dull and boring and dark. It seemed so much bigger without all the furniture inside. I bolted upstairs and I saw the same thing. Nothing. I walked in all the rooms. Teddy's, Spencer's, Vivian's. Even Ben and Mrs. Abrams' room. The lights didn't work either. They really left nothing behind.

The lightning would light up the room in less than a second and the cold darkness would take over again. I could hear nothing but the noisy wind from outside and the low rumble from behind the gray clouds. I wasn't crying. I wasn't even sad. I was quite angry but mostly confused. Confused as to where the hell they went and why they weren't here. Confused as to why they left without telling anyone and why they left so out of the blue. Christine obviously didn't know why. She and Spencer were close, weren't they? Teddy too. Why didn't she tell anyone?

"I told you," Christine's weak and tired voice echoed inside the dark house. "They left."

"Nobody knows?" I asked.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I haven't seen Liam since the last day of school. We didn't even talk or hang out very much since we visited Spencer in the hospital."

"What happened?" I said quietly, avoiding her eyes. I was curious as to what happened when they visited him. Did he freak out?

"Yeah, he freaked pretty bad," Christine nodded.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" I muttered to myself.

"You guys are talking about the boy with amnesia, right?" Sirius caught on. "James wrote to me. Told me a few things 'bout him. He's a bit mental now, isn't he?"

"He's not mental," Christine snapped at him.

"Yeah, he's mental," Sirius raised his eyebrows and nodding. "Isn't he mental, Hunter?"

"Shut the bloody hell up, Sirius," I hissed.

"I was just saying!" he raised his hands up in surrender. "The guy's already gone mad and you two need to accept it and move on. What's done is done. Get the fuck over it."

"Sirius, _shut up_," I said furiously, glancing at Christine who was clenching her fists in anger and her pale face turned red.

"Why should you care about him anyway?" he asked me. "You barely know the guy!"

"Because I do, Sirius!" I shouted, stomping my foot angrily. "I care about him!I care about him so much! So much that it terrifies the fuck out of me!"

"_Why_? You barely even see him!"

"_Shut up_!" Christine screamed. "I can hear something!"

We both immediately stiffened. White we were all silent, I could hear something rustling. It sounded like…

"Paper," Christine mumbled. She followed the sound and walked in Mrs. Abrams' room.

As she was investigating, I breathed heavily, thinking about what I just blurted out to Sirius. I did care about Spencer. I do. But I've only just realized now how much. I cared about him so much. Too much, actually. I was disgusted at myself. I couldn't let myself get attached to him. To any of them. Now that I have, I've already dragged him into my world. If anyone inside You-Know-Who's circle who has a strong dislike towards me and found out about Spencer…. No. They wouldn't. They never would. For a second there, I was relieved that they weren't here. No one would ever find them. I can forget about them and move on with my life.

How could I let my feelings take over like that? How come I let myself care so much for a Muggle? Just thinking about him now triggered the butterflies in my stomach. I cursed them mentally. How did I only realize how much I cared about him now? Now that he was finally gone? Now that I have no chance of telling him how I really felt about him and maybe find out if he felt the same way?

Frustrated, I saw Teddy's bedroom door opening slowly and I kicked it. Instead of it closing with a loud bang, it hit someone behind it. Shit.

"_Ah_! Bloody hell, woman, why so angry?" Sirius growled, rubbing the side of his head.

"Sorry," I said, not sounding sorry at all.

"Crap!" Christine gasped from Mrs. Abrams' room.

I ran inside and looked over her shoulder as she bent down, reading a piece of paper.

_Rosie, _

_Everything is settled here. I'll be expecting you all back here soon. I'm so excited to see you all again. Especially Teddy. I need to have a word with her and her actions. Even though he's getting a bit crazy, I'm going to be very happy when I see Spencer again as well. He probably doesn't remember me but I'll give it a shot with him anyway. _

_Of course, there's Vivian who I have never even met before! I'm pretty sure she'll be as sweet as you all say she is. Is Ben still as handsome as ever? Just kidding sis. Seriously. I was kidding. Don't even. Just please. Scratch that. Damn, why did I even write that down. Okay, so I don't know if you guys are staying here forever or something but I'd appreciate it if you got your own place after a while. You do know I see guys too and if I bring them home and… You know… Awkward…._

_Right, I'll be serious now. Serious Leese is on._

_So, just to let you know, Teddy and Vivian have to share a room. Spencer can stay on his own because of his whole…. problem. You and Ben can use the other guest room. Each room has it's own bathroom. My room is off-limits so you better mention that to all everyone there. You wouldn't want any of your kids walking into my room. Just a heads up._

_It's a two-story apartment (I know right. When did I, Melissa Abrams, get so successful? It's called hard work, dear. *wink*) so it's pretty spacious. Vivian can play around if she wants to. If you break anything, you gotta buy me a new one but better. Thankfully, I kicked my roommate out so I'm living alone. You guys are just coming home at the right time._

_So, I guess I laid out all the rules on this thing! I just wanted to put it all here so I don't have to repeat myself when you arrive. I probably wont be home because I've been staying late in work nowadays. My stupid assistant quit and I'm stuck doing all my extra work until I find someone decent to fill in. There's a spare key in the soil of the plant on the left by the door. ON THE LEFT._

_DONT STICK YOUR HAND IN THE RIGHT. Trust me, you wouldn't want to do that._

_From the most helpful and generous sister in the world: Leese_

"They left for America," Christine mumbled, still clutching the letter from Mrs. Abrams' sister. "I mean, why else would she say _coming home_?"

"Are they coming back?" I asked.

She shot me a viscous look and I immediately back up. "Obviously not," she spat. "I have to get home. They're probably wonder where I am."

After sending me another bad look, she ran downstairs and out of the house, into the rain. She took the letter with her. Sighing, I walked out of the room and saw Sirius, looking around the house with a bored expression. He caught my eye and nodded swiftly, walking down the stairs. Sighing, I followed him down and out of the house.

We ran all the way back to the Potter Manor. As we neared the gates, they automatically opened. We ran nearer to the manor and I slipped, landing on my stomach. I coughed, trying to get up. Sirius kneeled down beside me, grabbing my arm.

"You alright?" he asked gruffly.

Nodding, I let him help me up. We walked this time and he grabbed my hand, making sure I didn't slip this time. When we finally reached the doorstep, I sighed in relief. I was so tired and I felt like I was about to pass out. I leaned against Sirius, coughing and shivering, trying to take in his warmth. He put an arm around my shoulder, keeping me from falling. He shakily stretched his other hand out to open the door.

Turns out, it was locked.

A string of curses escaped Sirius' mouth as he tried to push to door open.

"Use my clip," I suggested weakly.

"Cant," he answered quietly. "I lost it there. Probably dropped it somewhere."

I muttered my own curses under my breath. Sirius still tried to open the door until he was finally tired and let the handle go. Sighing heavily, he flattened his hair with his free hand. My head really hurt and if I didn't sit down soon, I was going to fall. Sirius seemed to have sensed this and held me tighter, looking down at me. I looked up into his silvery eyes and opened my mouth to thank him.

Then, the front door was yanked open by none other than James Potter.

Sirius and I immediately backed away from each other and I was blushing furiously.

"_Mate_," James said, staring at Sirius, his eyes wide. "What're you- I mean… Are you and her-"

"No!" I immediately said. If it was even possible, my face heated up even more.

James furrowed his eyebrows, eyeing me and Sirius suspiciously. Sirius shifted uncomfortably. I would have been pretty suspicious too if I was the one who caught my best friend in the same position I was with someone.

"James, is that Cassie?" Mrs. Potter appeared in the living room and when she saw Sirius and me, she beamed. "Oh, thank Merlin! We were so worried when we arrived and you weren't here! Sirius, what are you doing here all wet? You too, Cassie! Did you two play in the rain?"

"Yes," I said quickly. A little bit too quick for James' liking. His eyes narrowed at me and I tried to avoid them.

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Potter sent Sirius and me a disapproving look. "Wash up. Both of you, upstairs now."

"Mrs. Potter, could I talk to you please?" Sirius asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Of course, Sirius. What is it?" Mrs. Potter said sweetly.

I didn't stick around to hear their conversation. I could still see James' narrowed eyes directed at me and I took this opportunity to be out of his sight. I was tired anyway. All I wanted was nice long sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>JAMES<strong>

"So we're living together now, huh?" Sirius said, laughing awkwardly as we both entered my room.

"Yeah, apparently," I growled, slamming the door shut behind me.

There was still only one mattress on the floor and I sighed in relief. Maybe Hunter was sleeping in her room since Sirius had to stay here now. Speaking of Sirius, I turned to him furiously. His eyes widened and backed up a bit.

"So you and Hunter are some sort of thing now, huh?" I snapped, glaring at him.

"I know it looked like that but mate, we weren't about to kiss!" he said quickly, his hands up in surrender.

"What were you doing then?" I said, holding my stare.

"She was really tired and she looked like she was about to faint," he explained. "I had to hold her so she wouldn't."

"Where did you come from anyway?" I crossed my arms, eyes still narrowed.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Another reason why you should believe that there's nothing going on between us. She's in love with the Muggle."

My eyes widened and I frowned, arms dropping to my sides.

"What are you talking about?" I snapped.

"How can you not notice it? You bloody live with her!" Sirius exclaimed, staring at me in disbelief.

"Spencer?" I said in the same tone. "You think she's in love with Spencer?"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" he shot back.

"This is Spencer we're talking about, Sirius!" I said, shaking my head. "No way can she be in love with him! He doesn't even remember her!"

"Look, mate, forget about her," he growled. "Just go back to chasing Evans. Honestly, you were much better before you met _her_."

I stared at him. So, he knew. Sirius was very good at reading people. He might have known for a while. I don't know. He knew that I at least found Cassie Hunter intriguing. I didn't fancy her. No, nothing like that. There's just something about her that makes me want to know more. About her life, in general. She's got a lot of secrets and I knew a few. I wanted to know them all.

Fine, I'll say it. I've grown fond of her as well. Again, I don't fancy her. She's really just quite fascinating and yes, I'll admit that it's nice to know that she's in the house sometimes. She could be a nice friend. Of course, I have a reputation to hold. I couldn't just ask her to be friends with me since I was her school bully for a while.

"I've been chasing Evans for years. I've never stopped," I said.

"Yeah, but you should go back to chasing just Evans," he replied. "As much as I hate her, I honestly think you were better off without knowing Hunter."

"You're just saying that because you fancy her," I said knowingly.

He flipped his middle finger up at me. "I don't. You know I don't."

I shrugged. "Anything can happen, Padfoot."

"I'm never going to fancy her. You know that," he snorted.

I tried not laugh as I did an exaggerated shrug. The look on his face was priceless.

"Shut up! I'm never going to fancy her!" he growled, grabbing my Quaffle and throwing it at me.

Instead of catching it, I ducked and it hit the wall behind me. Laughing, I put my hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright!" I chuckled. "You don't fancy her and you never will. That's a good boy."

He muttered something under his breath. Unfortunately for him, I heard it. Chuckling lightly, I grabbed the Quaffle and threw it at him in top speed. It hit his stomach and he clutched it in pain.

"I was _kidding_," he managed to say, sending me a glare as he fell back on his mattress.

"You should have kept it to yourself, mate."

"Bloody hell, you're mental."

"Sirius, where exactly did you and Hunter go?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

He lifted his head up. "Spencer Abrams' house."

I frowned. "And you went there with her?"

"I couldn't possibly go there alone, now could I?" he said with a snort. "You'd do the same."

I shrugged. He was right. I would do the same.

"How was he?"

"He wasn't there."

My eyes widened. "_What_?"

"They all left for America, I reckon. Hunter looked devastated. Her friend too. Bet you five Galleons she fancies Abrams too."

"Her friend?" I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Christine, I think?" he shrugged. "Yeah, she came here and asked Hunter if she knew where the Abrams' were. Told Hunter they were gone and she sprinted outside."

"How? She doesn't know how to open the gate without a wand!"

Sirius grinned guiltily at me. My jaw dropped.

"She's scary when she's angry, Prongs," he laughed, standing up. "Anyway, I'm going to take a nice long hot bath."

"I'm not yet done with you," I snapped.

"Would you like to join me then?"

I let out a sarcastic laugh and pushed him towards my bathroom. "You're bloody disgusting, you know that?"

"I was just saying, you know?" he laughed as I pushed him. "If you want to join me, all you have to do is ask."

Finally, he was inside the bathroom and I slammed the door shut.

"Just take a bloody bath, you queer!"

* * *

><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

Days after Sirius showed up, I was still thinking about when the right time to visit any of Spencer's friends. I needed to talk to someone and talking to James and Sirius about this was laughable. Florence was currently on vacation in America with her sister and I longed to be with her there. Sending her letters and her sending some back took too long and the Potters' owl would easily get tired.

When July came, I finally decided that I can face Spencer's friends again. I didn't really want anyone to know where I was going so when I woke up at six in the morning, I grinned. Nobody should be awake at this time. I threw the bedcovers off me, silently thanking Mrs. Potter for letting me move back in my room since Sirius was here. After freshening up in the bathroom, I slipped on a pair of jeans, a nice top and a cream-colored cardigan. After tying my red sneakers, I left the room.

I tried not to make too much noise as I walked quickly down the stairs. There was an annoying creak once or twice but I reached the first floor in one piece and I couldn't hear any door opening, meaning everyone was probably still asleep. I slipped out of the living room and ran to the gate. I cursed silently when the noisy gate opened. Couldn't it stay quiet? Hopefully, everyone was a heavy sleeper in the Potter Manor.

When the gates were wide open enough for me to fit, I sprinted out and took my usual route towards the park. The sun was getting higher and families would start to wake up. I cursed myself for not finding out where any of Spencer's friends lived but then I remembered that I did know where one of them lived.

Liam. Of course! Grinning, I tried to remember the route Spencer and Teddy took that night when we visited his house. After after thirty minutes, I finally faces a familiar road. The road where I realized that I left my wand back in Liam's house. I turned to his street and I spotted his house. I ran to it and hopped over the fence, trying not to make any noise. I landed on the grass noiselessly and crouched down as I walked briskly to one of the windows. I peeked and saw that no one was in the living room. I could see the door to the backyard and the pool. I could see part of the kitchen too and there wasn't a living soul in sight.

I walked to the side of the house, looking up. There was another floor and I saw two big windows on the right side of the house. Beside each window was another one except smaller. Must have been a bathroom. This meant that those big windows belonged to a bedroom. I just had to find out if any of those rooms belonged to Liam. There was a big tree with sturdy branches that stretched out in every direction. Grinning, I started to climb it.

I've climbed trees before. I lived in a forest with my father for a few years and climbing trees was something I did often to clear my mind. I climbed to the top quickly and slowly, I started to walk on one of the thick branches, holding on to a thinner branch above me. When I had a good view of the window on the left, I saw a room with clothes all over the floor, an unfinished bottle of cola on the bedside table and a messy-haired blonde underneath a pile of bedsheets.

Sighing in relief, I stretched my hand out to the window and knocked. He didn't even stir. Cursing silently, I knocked again, louder this time. He twitched but I was sure he was still asleep. I tried knocking even louder but I couldn't risk knocking too loud because someone else might wake up. He changed position but his eyes were still shut. I prayed to Merlin that the window wasn't locked from the inside. I thanked him when I was able to slide it open. Without any noise, I stepped in the room and closed the window behind me. I briskly walked to him and shook him awake.

"Liam," I whispered urgently. "Oi, wake up."

"Bloody hell, Annie," he mumbled. "Do you even know what time it is?"

"Annie?" I said, confused. "I'm Cassie."

"Shut up," he said, burying his face in his pillow. His voice was muffled as he continued talking. "I told you not to mention anything Spencer related."

I let out a frustrated sigh and slapped his arm. "Open your eyes! It's really me!"

He slowly opened one eye and the second he saw me, he jumped, freaked out and landed on the floor. I ran to the other side of the bed.

"You alright?" I said quickly, grabbing his arm and helping me up.

As he stood up, he covered my mouth with his hand and his head snapped towards the door. It was silent for a few seconds then we heard someone snoring from the other room. Liam sighed in relief and put his hand down.

"Will you please tell me what the fuck you're doing in my house this early in the bloody morning?" he hissed irritatedly.

I bit my lip nervously. "I just… I needed to see someone. I had to talk to someone."

His stare immediately softened and I saw him relax.

"This is about Spencer, isn't it?" he asked softly_._

I nodded and he sighed. He told me to wait as he entered his bathroom, probably to freshen up. When he returned to the room, he sat down on his bed, his back against the headboard. He patted the space beside him and I returned to the right side of the bed, sitting down beside him in the same position.

"I figured since you knew him-" I tried to explain.

"No, I get it," he cut me off. "It's fine. It's been hard for me too. I remember visiting him in the hospital." He chuckled darkly.

"Did you know that he left?" I asked. "He left for America."

"Christine told me, yeah," he said quietly. "She's taking it harder than us all, actually. I knew she had a thing for him."

"What happened to you and Teddy?" I changed the subject, ignoring the jealousy building up inside me.

"Split up," he mumbled, staring down at his hands. "A week after Spencer was hospitalized."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"We were just trying it. We weren't too serious. I really liked her though. But I got over it. I'm alright."

"Can I be honest with you?" I said, looking at him.

He lifted his head up, raising his eyebrows at me. "Yeah. You can tell me anything."

"I care about him," I said in less than a whisper.

"Is that your way of saying that you love him?" he chuckled.

"I don't know," I admitted shyly. "How would I know if I'm in love with him? All I know is that I really like him. I want to be with him. I want to go to America and hug him and kiss him and tell him how much I care about him."

"Have you fancied him all this time or-"

"I only realized when he left," I mumbled angrily. "Why didn't I realize it when he was still here? I could have told him. I might have had a chance to actually be with him."

"Well, you know what they say," he said. "If you love someone, you let them go."

"But I cant let him go," I snapped. "He's not even happy. He's far from that. Doesn't that saying mean that you should want your love to be happy and if it means that you have to let him go then you better? I want him to be happy again, Liam. That's what I liked about him most. How bloody happy he is all the time. How he's always so carefree. But who am I to say all these things about him? I don't think I know him that well and I'm completely smitten with the boy. It's ridiculous."

"I think you know him well enough," Liam said. "Did you know that he loves baseball despite the fact that he's too lazy to play it?"

I chuckled. "Yeah."

"He taught me how to play it. We used to play catch all the time."

"Did he have any girlfriends?" I asked with a light laugh.

" A few," he said. "He even dated Donna for a short while but they broke up."

"He dated Donna?" I said in surprise. "Aren't you all like best friends?"

"It's not really awkward," Liam shrugged. "Don and Lacey are dating. Almost a year now, actually. They're such a cute couple it's revolting sometimes. Did you ever have a boyfriend?"

"No," I immediately answered.

"Are you serious?"

"I've only ever kissed one boy in my life."

"Who's that?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Thankfully, he dropped the subject. "You have a pretty name, Cassie Hunter."

I felt my face heat up. "You sound like Spencer."

"Do I?" he chuckled. "Yeah, does sound like something he'd say."

Our faces were inches apart now. I knew I should move but I couldn't. I stared into his green eyes. Spencer's eyes were sort of green. I loved his eyes. They were beautiful. Spencer. He's been in my mind for quite some time now. Talking about him with Liam made it even worse. I'd blink and see Spencer beside me, his eyes cheerful once again and his bright smile back on his face. When I did see Spencer, I couldn't help but put my lips on his.

The kiss was short. Just a soft peck on the lips. We stared at each other again and it was still very quiet. I could only hear a few birds chirping from outside and the early morning breeze that made the leaves rustle. Then suddenly, he moved in and we were kissing again. It was much deeper than the first. I didn't kiss him back at first since I was still quite surprised with what he did. When his cold hands touched my face, I started to respond and I knew I would regret doing that.

I was snogging Spencer's best friend. This boy is not Spencer. I repeated that statement in my head, begging it to finally sink in. It only did when Liam broke the kiss. His eyes widened and he stumbled back, only to hit the floor. It didn't seem to hurt him though because he immediately stood up and backed up until he hit the wall.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," he muttered continuously. He blinked rapidly until he finally calmed down. His breathing slowed but his eyes were still wide.

I was still sitting on his bed, staring back at him. I couldn't move.

"We cant do this," he finally spoke. "Shit, why did I do that? Bloody hell, I'm an idiot!"

I watched him curse himself repeatedly again until he turned his attention back on me.

"Why did you kiss me back?" he said.

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"I'm not Spencer, Cassie," he sighed, breathing heavily.

I stayed quiet. Of course, he was right. He wasn't Spencer and he never will be Spencer. I only kissed him back because I thought it felt right. It might sound cheesy but yeah, Spencer was in my head. Only him.

"I should go," I managed to say. "Thanks for talking to me, Liam."

"Anytime," he said after coughing awkwardly.

I got off his bed and walked to the window. I turned back and waved before sliding the window open and climbing down the tree.

* * *

><p><em>Cassie might think he's gone but little did she know that she hasn't seen the last of Spencer yet.<em>

_"Hey, you haven't introduced me to your new girlfriend." -Liam Jefferson, Live To Die, Chapter Seventeen, Swimming With The Muggles_

* * *

><p><strong>I've been so busy! I'm so sorry for not answering to your reviews but I'd like everyone to know that I read each and every single one of them! I should mention AnonAG though for that brilliant suggestion! It helped me loads with this chapter!<strong>

**Okay, before all you James and Sirius fans beat me up, I'd like to say that Cassie will definitely not end up with Liam. This was just how I planned it with the whole Spencer thing. Also, about Spencer, he's not gone. I think it's safe to say that the next chapter will be in Flo's point of view. And if you really read the whole chapter, you'd know where she is right now. *wink***

**Please don't hate on Liam because of the kiss! It was harmless. So, any thoughts? Leave them in a review. :)**


	22. Cakes N' Icing

**Cakes N' Icing**

_Rule #17: When it's only one person you need to see, you don't show yourself to the others._**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>FLORENCE<strong>

"We're in New York, Laine!" I gasped, staring at the beautiful Manhattan from the balcony in our hotel room.

"Very pretty, isn't it?" my sister, Elaine, sighed from inside the room as she watched something on the television and tied her bright red hair up in a messy bun.

"Can we go buy some clothes tomorrow?" I asked excitedly, walking back in the room and sliding the door close behind me.

Elaine sighed, turning her attention to me. "We're not here on vacation, Flo."

"Then why the hell are we here then?" I huffed, sitting down on the bed.

"I'm visiting this book shop for Flourish and Blotts," she explained.

"And I have to come with you?" I whined.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," she said with a shrug. "It would be quite interesting though. You'll see where all the other American wizards get their school stuff. It's like an American Diagon Alley."

"I think I'll pass."

"Suit yourself," she mumbled, walking to the kitchen. "Fancy a cuppa, love?"

"I just want to sleep," I said, burying my head in the pillow.

"Then go sleep," Elaine said irritatedly.

"It's eleven in the morning."

"Then go out! Explore the city! Just be sure to get back here before the sunset. I'll be home by then."

Grinning, I got up from the bed and kissed Elaine on the cheek.

"Love you, Laine!" I said before grabbing my bag and leaving the hotel room.

At this hour, Manhattan was quite busy. People were coming in and out of coffee shops, trying to get a bite before their lunch breaks finished. I actually found the way they spoke very intriguing. As I walked, I'd talk to myself, trying to do an American accent. Some of them would stare at me like I'm some sort of mental patient. I'd bump into a few of them and they'd quickly say sorry before running off to another building. Was it always this busy here?

I managed to find a nice coffee shop where there weren't much people and there were actually a few empty tables. After ordering a cup, I sat quietly at empty table for two. I pulled out a nice book written by some Muggle. Unfortunately, I didn't get to read much because some American girl by the table beside mine was talking rather loudly with her friend.

"-and I told him to shut the hell up and get some balls because I'm not doing that for him," she said, taking her curly brown hair off its ponytail and let it down. Honestly, are all Americans that attractive?

"What did he want you to do anyway?" her friend asked. She was pretty too with her golden hair in a somewhat complicated plait. Her eyes were almond-shaped and gray as she stared at her friend in interest.

"Talk to Jenna."

The blonde's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "No shit!"

"I know right!" the brunette nodded, her own brown eyes wide. "The last time they saw each other was like a trillion freaking years ago!"

"I thought he forgot everything."

"Yeah, he did!" the brunette said. "I mentioned her and he wants me to talk to her and tell her to come here."

"Why don't you just do it?"

"Didi, this is Jenna Preston we're talking about."

"Is she still a bitch?" the blonde, Didi, asked, stirring her cup of coffee.

"She's a psycho," Didi's friend snorted. "A drunk psycho. Stupid wanker is worse than Liam."

I saw her face drop when she said the name Liam. Did she just call Jenna Preston a wanker? She was using british slang… It sounded a bit weird when she said it.

"Did you just say _wanker_?" Didi laughed.

"I was in England for seven years, Di," the brunette chuckled. "It's a wonder that I got to keep my accent. Did you think I was going to come back like a brit?"

Seven years? Well, that's long. I was pretty surprised that she kept her accent.

"Well, a bit, I guess."

"I cant believe you still remember me," Didi's friend mumbled. "You haven't seen me in years."

"Well, I didn't recognize you at first," Didi admitted. "Is Spencer doing fine, though? I mean, has he remembered anything or anyone in particular?"

The brunette shrugged. "Same old, same old. I don't even see him."

Did she say Spencer? Why did that name sound so familiar….

"Do you think he'll remember Jenna?" Didi asked.

"They were childhood friends," her friend said. "Maybe. But he doesn't remember me. I was with him since he was a little kid. If he remembers Jenna Preston and not me, I will _kill_ that bitch."

I tried to hold in my snort. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it. Also, it was louder than I thought it was. The two girls snapped their heads towards me and the brunette's eyes narrowed. We stared at each other, my eyes wide. I didn't know what I should do. Should I just walk out like I heard nothing or apologize or what?

"And who are you?" the brunette snapped unkindly.

Didi sent her a glare before smiling sweetly to me. At least her friend is nice.

"Sorry about her. She's kinda cranky today."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been listening," I mumbled.

The brunette's eyes widened and she stared at me like I was some alien from outer space.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

"England," I said simply.

Didi's eyes widened and her eyes flickered to her friend then back to me.

"If you were listening well enough then," the brunette said coldly. "you should know that I lived there for about seven years."

"Yes, I heard," I said in the same tone.

"Teddy, shut up. She might be nice," Didi whispered irritatedly to her friend, who was apparently called Teddy.

Teddy snorted in disbelief but didn't say anything to me after that.

"I'm Didi," the blonde introduced herself as she held out her hand to shake mine.

"I'm Florence," I said, taking her hand and shaking it lightly.

"This is Teddy," Didi said, pointing to the girl sitting in front of her. She grunted and glared at her cup of coffee.

"Nice to meet you too," I muttered sarcastically.

Teddy's head snapped up and her glare was immediately directed towards me. I didn't even know the girl and I already disliked her. I gave her a cold look and Didi's eyes were darting from me to Teddy.

"So, Florence, are you just here on vacation or do you live here?" Didi asked me kindly. I think I saw her kick Teddy's leg from under their table. I immediately knew that Didi indeed kicked her under the table because her face scrunched up in pain and shot Didi the glare she was just giving me a few moments ago.

"I'm here on vacation with my sister," I answered Didi.

"Oh, so where do you live in England?"

"I live with my sister in a flat in London," I said.

"Do you still go to school?" she said, her eyebrows furrowed. "You sure look like you do."

"I'm turning sixteen in a week and yes, I still go to school. It's a boarding school in Scotland."

To my surprise, I saw Teddy perk up in interest. One second, she was glaring at the opposite wall then suddenly, she was looking at me, her eyes wide and her mouth open slightly. All I said was my age and where I went to school. Unless… she knew about Hogwarts. But she couldn't. She was a Muggle. Wasn't she?

I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to see anything magic related. She was normal. She seemed normal, at least. She couldn't be a witch. Yet, I could hear a voice in the back of my head saying that I would never know. She could be one. It was possible. But I was damn sure she wasn't one. Well, at least that's what I thought. Again, I would never know, the voice in the back of my head would remind me. I mentally cursed it and tried to push it away. No way was she a witch. Anyway, if she _was_ one, she's American and she wouldn't know where Hogwarts was, right?

"I'm going to check on Spencer," Teddy said, standing up. "I'll see you soon, Didi." She sent me a swift nod before walking to the exit.

As she did, I thought of the names Spencer and Teddy repeatedly in my head. I heard those names somewhere. Those two names. Where the hell did I here those names? Then I remembered Cassie. How she was so worried after Christmas break because her friend was in the hospital. How she wouldn't eat very much until she found out if he was all right. How she got a letter from someone in a piece of what Muggles call paper. A letter from a girl named Teddy. About a boy named Spencer.

Teddy Abrams was already outside when I figured it all out.

I immediately stood up which surprised Didi who was just reading a book as she sipped on her coffee. I ran after Teddy who, from what I could see from inside the coffee shop, was just about to cross the street. Didi asked me where I was going but I could barely hear her. I roughly pushed the door of the coffee shop open and nearly hit a man who looked like he was off to work. He sent me a ferocious glare and set off without looking back. I glared at his back for a second before remembering why I really was going outside in the first place.

She was already halfway to the other street and without even checking if there were any moving vehicles on the road coming towards me, I ran to the other side. I heard something screeching and my heart almost stopped. I stopped walking right in front of a car and the driver just hit the breaks. Before I could see the look of the driver's face, I turned and started to run again. The other cars had started to slow down after seeing the first car that almost hit me stop. Some of the people inside were watching me with either curiosity or annoyance.

When I finally reached the other side, I tried to find Teddy in the crowd of moving people. I bumped a few since I really wasn't watching where I was going. I was too busy looking at everyone's heads and faces to see if Teddy was one of them. I think I even bumped into a kid and he fell to the floor crying. I didn't get to stop and apologize because the crowd was only moving in one direction now and I was forced to move with them or I was going to bump a lot more people on the sidewalk.

I still tried to find her but I finally gave up and walked in a pastry shop I was passing by to get out of the moving crowd. I was sweating a bit and I felt the cold air when I entered the shop. I could smell icing and chocolate from the back and a few people were eating. I took the nearest table for four and sat on one of the chairs. I buried my face in my hands, groaning. I cant believe that I lost her. How could I forget that Cassie mentioned Teddy and Spencer moving back to the United States?

What a coincidence it was that they actually lived in Manhattan. The place where I was currently on vacation with my sister. I cant believe I entered a coffee shop where she was currently in with her friend. How coincidental was that? I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a cool boring voice talking to me.

"Welcome to Cakes N' Icing. How may I help you?" she said, her dark eyes boring into mine and she sounded like she was chewing something. Her mouth was moving so I assumed that she was chewing some sort of gum. She obviously didn't want to be here, hearing the way she was speaking. She sounded bored and depressed. Her dark hair was tied up in a messy bun, a few loose strands falling to frame her sleepy-looking face.

"Jenna, _again_," a woman said sternly from behind the counter as she narrowed her eyes at the waitress. The two looked similar. Same face. Same eyes. The woman's hair was dark as well but it was tied back in a neat bun with a hairnet covering it.

"I don't even wanna work here!" Jenna snapped, slamming her notepad on my table. I jumped a bit and the woman behind the counter noticed.

"Stop scaring the customers, Jenna," the woman said through gritted teeth. "Just get her order and give it to me."

"Mom, I quit!" Jenna screamed. I stared wide-eyed at all the other customers in the shop. A few were staring at Jenna but most just continued eating like nothing was happening. Two lads were having a conversation on the table behind mine and I could hear everything they were saying.

"Happens every time," one of them said with a small chuckle.

"The third one today, right Jack?" the other laughed quietly.

"We're here far too often, my friend."

"Wait for it," Jack's friend said softly. I snuck a glance behind me and saw him staring up at Jenna with an amused expression. "Here comes the real drama and…."

"Dad would give it to me in a heartbeat, mom!" Jenna screamed. She looked like she was about to start crying. "Why cant you be like him? You don't love me! You don't love me one bit and I'm sick of it! I'll just go home and cry in my room because obviously, you don't want me here!"

And with that, Jenna stormed out of the shop. Not many were paying attention to her anyway. I wondered why. The two lads behind me obviously noticed my confused expression because one of them, Jack, I think, tapped my shoulder and I whipped around, facing them.

Jack was a lean man who was probably in his twenties with sharp features. His hair was under a cap with the words New York stitched on it and he wore a pair of dark sunglasses, covering his eyes. He had a big grin on his face as he stared at me. Beside him was a teenage boy, his olive green eyes glinting as he stared at me with a smirk on his face. His brown hair was under a gray winter hat with his bangs swept to the side. It's the middle of the summer. What was this guy playing at, wearing a hat like that when he knew hot it was outside?

"If you're wondering why exactly she just left and nobody gave a shit then, we're the right guys to ask!" Jack said cheerfully, taking his sunglasses off, revealing a pair of startling blue eyes, and sending me a wink.

"I take it this happens often then?" I asked quietly.

"Ah, she's from England!" Jack said sounding fascinated then putting on a fake British accent. The worst British accent I've heard so far in my life. "'Lo, mate! Meh name's Jack and I'm twanty four years owled."

I tried to stifle a giggle. He sounded so funny. The boy beside him brought his hand up to cover his face and I caught a glimpse of the annoyed look forming.

"We don't talk like that, Jack," I said with a smile.

"Oh, really?" he said, his own accent back. "Hm… I thought it was pretty good."

"That sucked," his mate snapped.

"Nobody asked you," Jack laughed, smacking the back of his friend's head.

The boy rolled his eyes and turned to me. "He's crazy," he stated with a jerk of his head towards Jack.

"Shut the fuck up," Jack said with a chuckle. He checked his watch and his bright eyes widened. "Ah! I told Steph I'd meet her after lunch!" He stood up immediately then frowned at me. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Florence, but you can call me Flo," I answered with a small smile.

Jack grinned again and nodded. "Nice meeting you, Flo. I'll see you around then. Ask Jess over here to give you an explanation for what just happened with Jenna. I gotta run."

He clapped his friend, Jess, on the back and left the shop. I turned to Jess, a crease forming in between my eyebrows.

"So, what exactly just happened?" I asked.

"Happens everyday," he said with a shrug. "Jenna works as a waitress here and she doesn't want to."

"She just got sacked, didn't she?" I said. "Well, she quit but I'm pretty sure she'd get sacked with the way she was acting a while ago."

"No, she just says that," Jess chuckled. "She never really _does_ quit. The lady over there never fires her either."

"That was her mum," I realized.

"Yep," Jess replied. "She's trying to help Jenna earn money to move in that apartment she wanted here in Manhattan. Jenna's from a rich family. She's a spoiled little bitch. Apparently, her mom just got some brains and finally told her to get a job and earn the money herself. She was hired in a bunch of places and Jack and I always bet on whether she was going to get fired again or not. I always thought she wasn't. I got faith in her. Well, I learned never to bet with Jack again after losing all my savings for the month."

"Maybe you should learn to pick the better choice," I suggested.

He shrugged. "That too."

"How do you know this anyway?" I asked.

"Well, she's my sister," Jess admitted shyly.

My eyes widened. "Are you serious? But… you didn't sound like you were talking about her as your sister… I mean-"

"Yeah, I don't like calling her that," he cut me off. "She really pisses me off. I still love her though. But still. She should work on her attitude."

"If she's your sister, then you belong to the same rich family, don't you?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I don't really like talking about them," he said. "I stay away from the house as much as possible. Dad's never really home because of work and when he _does_ come home, he always has something special for his baby girl. He hates me. It's like he sees Jenna as the youngest in the family when in fact, that's me. Jenna's a year older than me."

"Is Jenna your only sister?" I asked curiously. "What about Jack? Is he your brother?"

"I have two more," he answered. "They're twenty-six and twins. Janet is the head chef of this popular steakhouse and Janel has her own fashion line. Jack's just my best friend. He's one of the younger teachers in my school and we hang out a lot."

"They're pretty successful then, your sisters."

Jess grimaced. "Yeah, I know that. Dad never fails to remind me."

"Why do you think he dislikes you?" I said with a frown. "Do you do bad in school or…"

"I'm awesome in school," he said with a snort. "Teachers love me. Maybe because of Jack but whatever. I play soccer. I'm captain of my team. I really don't know what he wants me to achieve because I've already done everything that Janet and Janel have done when they were in school. All I haven't done that they have is become successful after graduating and that's because I haven't even graduated yet!"

"When are you graduating then?"

"It's my last year when school starts."

Before I could say anything else, I heard a familiar voice from behind the counter.

"Jesse, come and help me up here, dear," his mother ordered.

Both Jess and I turned to her and I saw her eyes narrow at me.

"Mom, I don't even work here," Jess snapped.

"Jesse Preston, if you don't come up here right now, I will _make_ you work here everyday with Jenna."

Jess stood up with a growl and approached his mother. His mother smiled coldly at him and patted his cheek.

"That's a good Jess."

Jess grabbed the apron she held out to him and stormed into the kitchen. I didn't stay in the shop any longer after that because I just remembered something very important. Once I left the shop, I thought about what I just discovered. The woman, Jess' mother, called him Jesse Preston. His sister was the girl who supposedly quit but really didn't, Jenna. Teddy and her friend, Didi, were talking _about_ a girl named Jenna Preston.

This girl had some sort of connection with Spencer Abrams. If she did, would her siblings know Spencer too? Specifically, Jess? We had talked a bit and I could somehow consider him as a friend since we don't hate each other and we sort of got along. If I see him again, maybe I can ask him about Spencer. Maybe he'd know where he stayed. I'll be able to find Spencer and Teddy and ask them about the things Cassie's wanted to know since she found out about their leaving. I could also check in Spencer to see if he was finally in the right mind again. Cassie would like to know that. She was my best friend. I _had_ to help her.

For the next days, I was usually at the hotel and stayed there for the rest of the day until Elaine got back from work. I'd sometimes leave and have a cup of coffee in the coffee shop where I met Teddy and Didi, hoping that they'd show up again. Unfortunately, they never did. I'd pass by the pastry shop where Jenna Preston worked and like Jess said, she actually didn't really quit and was back to working. I would tell myself to go in and ask her about Spencer but I didn't have the courage to since I didn't even know her nor did I ever speak to her in my life.

Elaine would come back late at night with some food she bought from a fast food restaurant. She'd take me shopping when she gets home early but that didn't usually happen. When we did go shopping though, she'd buy me anything I want if it was affordable. I was always a master of finding clothes that looked good with a decent price so I would come home carrying loads of shopping bags. On the last week of our stay in Manhattan, I was already determined to talk to Jenna Preston, the next time I visited Cakes N' Icing. I never saw Jess since my first day here and I really needed to see Spencer soon. I haven't seen Teddy or Didi either inside the coffee shop I saw them in.

I was going to leave the hotel at night since I was sure that Elaine would arrive late but in fact, she arrived pretty early. She told me to get dressed because we were going out to eat dinner. We rarely ever went out to eat a full meal. Usually, if she arrived early, she'd take me to a simple shop where we would buy a donut. Eating dinner outside was highly unusual but nice at the same time. We walked street after street until we found a good restaurant. We were able to snag a table for two and ordered our meals.

"Quite fancy, isn't it?" I said with a light chuckle.

"Since it's our last week here, I decided to take us to a nice place for once," Elaine said. "I heard about this restaurant. Loads of people from work talk about it. It's surprising that we actually got a table without reservation."

"How's work anyway?" I raised my eyebrows.

"They're actually very polite, them Americans," Elaine chuckled. "It's easy to work with them. Tomorrow's my last day and we have three days left to go around New York after that."

"I've gone around on my own a bit," I said. "I can show you a bunch of places that are nice. Central Park is beautiful. It's my favorite so far. It's a very peaceful place. I stayed there for one whole afternoon without disturbance."

"Maybe you could take me there tomorrow or the next day. Sounds fun. I'll bring some food and we'll have a small picnic there."

Before I could say anything else, the waiter served us our steaks and we thanked him before he left. I stared at my mouth-watering meal and cut it up without hesitation. I noticed something though. It didn't look quite well-done. I ordered my steak well-done when they asked if I wanted it like that or medium-rare.

"Is there anything wrong, Flo?" Elaine asked as she chewed a piece of her steak.

"It's not well-done," I stated.

Elaine frowned, examining my steak and raised her hand to call the waiter. The same one who served us our food came almost immediately with a kind greeting.

"She ordered a well-done steak," Elaine said. "This isn't well-done."

The waiter gave us his sincerest apologies and took my plate. We waited for a few minutes and Elaine even had stopped eating. I tried telling her that it would be fine if she started before me but she wouldn't do it. Finally, someone approached our table, holding up my order. It wasn't the same person though. It was a tall lady, her platinum blonde hair tied back with a hairnet covering it and her wide olive green eyes filled with concern. She didn't wear the same thing the waiters and waitresses were wearing. Instead, she wore all white with a matching white apron tied around her waist.

When she reached us, she placed the now well-done steak on the table and spoke.

"I am very sorry for this," she said, her green eyes wide. "This doesn't usually happen and when it does, I'm always the one to serve the dish again to apologize. If you need me again, please just call Janet Preston and I will get to you immediately. I'm the Head Chef and again, this does not happen often. I am very sorry for the inconvenience and I do hope you enjoy your meal."

A sat straiter in my chair when she mentioned her name. Before she could leave, I spoke up without thinking.

"You're Janet Preston?" I blurted out.

She blinked. "Yes, I am."

"Do you know a boy named Jess?" I asked. "Jess Preston?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "He's my brother. Are you two friends? A lot of his friends come here and say hello to me often."

"Well, I don't know if I should call him my friend or not," I said shyly. "You see, I met him in Cakes N' Icing before."

"Cakes N' Icing?" she perked up in interest. "Yes, my mother owns that shop. It's normal to see him there since he's there almost everyday, usually to help our sister, Jenna, out."

"I go there from time to time, hoping I'd see him again," I said, trying to avoid my sister's narrowed eyes. "Would it be alright to tell him to meet me there tomorrow at noon? There's something I need to ask him and I'm taking a plane back to England in a few days."

"Yes, of course," Janet nodded determinedly. "It's the least I can do for messing up your order."

"It's fine," I shrugged. "I don't really mind. Thank you for bringing it here."

"It was my pleasure. I'll make sure I'll remember to tell Jess about tomorrow."

And with that, she walked back to her kitchen and I got to start eating my meal. Elaine was staring at me the whole time but we didn't speak. I knew she wanted to say something but she knew that whatever she was going to ask, I wasn't going to answer so she kept quiet. After paying, we walked back to the hotel and when I laid down on my bed, I slept almost immediately.

The next day, I was nervous. Nervous to meet Jess again. I was praying to Merlin that he knew Spencer. Or at least, I'd be able to hang out with him long enough for him to finally let me meet his sister. That's all I really needed. I just needed information about Spencer and Teddy. Most especially where they lived. It might be a bit creepy to just walk up to their place, knock on the door and let myself in when none of them really knew me. Of course, I've been in these kinds of situations. I know how to sneak in the house quietly, talk to the one person I needed to talk to and sneak back out without anyone else seeing me. I'm a stalker. I know these kinds of things.

After lunch, I set off to Cakes N' Icing. I memorized the route from my hotel to that pastry shop after visiting it countless time during my stay here in New York. When I entered, I saw Jenna serving tables with her hair tied back in a messy ponytail and her usual scowl present on her face. Her mother was behind the counter, watching her with narrowed eyes. I walked to my usual table and ordered a nice cup of tea with a slice of cheesecake. I waited for Jess as I ate, staring at the entrance door. Finally, after what felt like hours, he finally entered, his winter hat still atop his head and his hands deep inside the pockets of his trousers.

"Hey," he said, sitting down on the empty chair on the opposite side.

"Hello," I managed to squeak out.

"Janet told me you wanted to meet me here," he said. "I thought she was lying at first."

I chuckled. "Yes, I met her yesterday in her restaurant."

"She told me all about it," Jess smiled. "You don't have to tell me. So, she said you wanted to ask me something. What is it?"

I opened my mouth and closed it. I repeated this a few more times but I finally stopped when I realized Jess was looking at me weirdly. I cleared my throat awkwardly and finally started to speak shakily.

"Er.. Well, there's this American boy that I know back home. Actually, no, I don't really know him but my friend Cassie does and he just left to go here without any warning and she's dying to know why he left and she didn't even get to say goodbye and if I see him here, I'd be able to to ask him the questions she wanted answered and I'd be able to tell her that and she'd be really happy and… Yes… Well, that's it."

I blushed when I realized that I said everything too fast and he probably didn't understand a single word I just said. Surprisingly, he just nodded.

"So, who's this boy? I'm assuming that you think I know him and you're going to ask me if I knew where he is."

"Yes," I immediately replied. "Yes, that's exactly what I was going to ask. His name is Spencer. Spencer Abrams."

Then, I heard a loud shatter. I immediately turned around and standing right behind me was Jenna Preston, a scowl no longer present on her face but was replaced by a very shocked expression. Her brown eyes were wide and alert. Her lips were slightly parted. I was aware that she was becoming very very pale. Based on the position of her hands and the fact that broken glass, a ruined slice of cheesecake and a metal tray was right in front of her feet, I knew that she dropped it. I turned to look at Jess whose expression was very similar to his sister's. What was going on?

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><p><em>What is it with the Prestons and Spencer? Is there something even deeper in Spencer's childhood? Maybe Florence will be able to figure it out. She was able to figure out loads of secrets before. Could this be another one of her discoveries?<em>**  
><strong>

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><p><em><strong>H<strong>_i, loves! I didn't get to answer to your reviews again because I really don't have that much time now than I had before! I have a summer job and I'm always out helping my parents and it's been very hectic here. I only get to type some chapters when I get home at night! I hope you all understand why this is a bit later than usual.

**I'll try to update sooner this time and answer all your reviews. I'm not making any promises though! I'll really try my best! Thanks so everyone who reviewed and read my story because you give me the motivation to type my chapters faster! Thank you so much for helping me reach 100 REVIEWS! LOVE YOU ALL! I hope this one's alright though I'm not very confident about it. The next chapter will probably still be in Flo's POV in America so stay tuned!**

**If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave it in a review and I'll try to get back to you!**


	23. Realizations

**Realizations**

_Rule #18: Analyze._

**FLORENCE**

"Clean that up, Jenna," Mrs. Preston ordered.

Jenna, eyes still wide, walked to the back of the counter and grabbed a broom and a dustpan. After cleaning up the mess, she placed it back behind the counter and entered the kitchen without another word. It was highly unusual since you would normally hear her shouting at her mother or cursing quietly under her breath. I turned my attention towards her mother who was looking down at the floor. I frowned, wondering what the hell she was looking at down there.

Suddenly, she pulled up a clean plate, cup and saucer and placed it back on the table. The same set that Jenna just dropped and cleaned up. She grabbed a tray and carried everything back into the kitchen. For some reason, I found this very suspicious. Though, I really didn't know why. Maybe there were plates, cups and saucers under the counter. But were there usually cabinets behind counters? I shook my head, cursing myself for over thinking. Plates, cups and saucers weren't my real problem right now.

How come Jenna reacted like that when she heard Spencer's name? I turned to look at Jess who was staring at me, his olive green eyes filled with suspicion. Then, he stood up, grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the pastry shop. He was walking in a fast pace and I tried to keep up with him to keep him from literally dragging me. When we reached a deserted alleyway, we finally stopped and he roughly turned to me.

"What the hell was that?" he snapped.

"What do you mean?" I said, extremely confused.

"That name," he said slowly.

"Spencer Abrams?"

"Don't say that," he hissed.

"Why not?" I shot back, stomping my foot in frustration.

"Because you cant just say that name!"

I growled at him.

"You don't understand!" Jess growled back.

"Tell me then!" I demanded.

"Wha- No way! I'm not gonna-"

"Spencer Abrams, Spencer Abrams, Spencer Abrams," I repeated furiously, taking steps towards him as he took steps back.

"Jenna and I aren't normal, okay?" he started, making me stop saying the name. "We're different. Our whole family is. Jenna and Spencer were friends. Mom didn't approve of their friendship. She hated Spencer. One day, Jenna…. did something to him. I don't know what. She wont tell me. In fact, I don't think even she knew what she did. All I know is that she saw Spencer lying down on the ground and he wasn't breathing. Mom was home that night. She knows something but she never brought it up. Jenna left the house to go to our shop where I was and told me what happened. When I got home with her, Spencer's body was gone and my mom was in the living room, acting like she knew nothing at all.

"Bullshit. She knew something. I know she did. I don't know what she did but Spencer is dead. Mom had something to do with it. Maybe even Jenna. We don't know where his body is but the next day, his family left and that just proved Jenna's suspicions of him not being alive anymore. Nobody knew where they went. We never saw any of them ever again. Since then, Jenna hasn't been in the right head. She started smoking at fifteen years old. She first drank at thirteen. She got boyfriends and used them for… Well, not for good reasons."

I stared at him, open-mouthed. He thought… Spencer was _dead_? Why the hell would he even think that? He had no proof! How the hell could he be dead when he's basically with Cassie all the time during our holidays? This was definitely a lot to think about. Jess and Jenna thought Spencer Abrams was dead for years! Apparently, Jenna did something which resulted to Spencer not breathing on the ground. What did she do? I know she's not exactly an angel nowadays but I couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. She thought she killed someone. Did they inform the police? Well, obviously, they didn't.

Maybe, if they talked to the police, they would have found out that Spencer and his family moved to England.

"You cant tell anyone," Jess whispered, tears filling his eyes. "We didn't mean it. Jenna didn't know what she was doing."

"I'm not going to tell," I assured him. "But only because what you think is wrong. Spencer isn't dead, Jess."

A crease formed in between his eyebrows. "What are you talking about? Yes, he is! Mom even said so! She said she took care of it."

"You're wrong," I said, my voice cracking when I felt tears filling my own eyes, imagining how exactly Jess and Jenna were feeling. They thought they killed someone. They thought they bloody killed someone. Oh, Merlin. "He's not dead. He moved to England. He's my best friend's friend. Cassie lives in the same village as him. He's recently gotten into accident and got some serious amnesia. He doesn't remember a single thing in his life. He moved out of his house in Maryfields and moved back here. Cassie's been wondering why. I met his sister, Teddy in a coffee shop near my hotel and heard her talking about Spencer wanting to see Jenna Preston because Teddy mentioned her name. That's why I thought you might know where he lived right now because you're Jenna's sister."

"You're lying," Jess croaked out, tears streaming down his cheeks. It was heartbreaking, seeing a guy cry. I honestly thought that they all felt too tough to cry. Seeing one cry openly in front of me felt different. But of course, if anyone else was in the same position as him, they'd be bawling their eyes out everyday. Jess seemed strong, being able to control himself all this time. When I first met him, I didn't think he had any serious problems like this.

"I'm not lying, Jess," I said, trying to sound calm and keep myself together. "It's true. Jess, it's true. I just need to know where he lives now then we can both see him. I'll show you, Jess. He's alive."

"We… We didn't kill him?" Jess sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"No, of course not. You didn't kill anyone. Jenna didn't kill anyone," I said, stepping closer. "I'll show you. I promise I will. He's okay. He just got into an accident and he's having trouble remembering things but other than that, he's well. I promise, Jess. I swear to all things good."

I pulled him into a hug and he quietly sobbed into my shoulder. I rubbed his back gently, whispering things like _You never did anything_ or _He's still alive_. I only knew the guy for a few days but here I was, comforting him like there was no tomorrow.

After a few minutes, Jess had finally stopped sobbing as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He sniffed a few times and tried to flatten his hair. His winter hat had fallen to the ground when he had started to cry, only to reveal his tousled brown hair. He bent down to grab it and put it back on his head. I reached out a hand for him to take, wanting to make sure that he was finally alright. When he took it, I sighed and sent him a small smile. We left the alleyway together, only for me to realize that we had walked in the direction towards my hotel.

I scanned my surroundings. The usual busy Americans were walking briskly around the place, trying to get through the big crowds. When the crowd in front of me had cleared a bit, I saw the coffee shop that I entered during my first day here. I smiled at the memory but it was gone as quickly as it came.

There, I saw a curly-haired brunette and a blonde entering. Even from the back of their heads, I knew who they were.

When I ran past the street, I didn't realize that I was dragging Jess with me until we had reached the front of the coffee shop. He looked at me, confusion etched across his face as he panted. I shook my head, not wanting to explain everything right now. All I needed to know that Teddy and Didi had finally returned to the coffee shop. Maybe they were waiting for me to finally leave the shop for good so they could enter again. Maybe they were just simply busy for the past days. I really didn't care.

I roughly pushed the door open and almost everyone in the shop turned to look at me. I received a few dirty glares but their looks weren't as bad as the one Teddy sent me. Her eyes were burning with fury as she stared at me and her fists were clenched so tightly that they were slowly turning white. Didi was looking from her to me and back to her.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Teddy snapped, looking ready to pounce. "Can you please stop following us? I swear to God, you're here every single fucking day and Didi and I cant even enter the shop without you being in it! So, please, can you just leave us alone and get the hell back to your rightful place in England?"

"Where's Spencer?" I hissed.

Her brown eyes widened. "Wh-What?"

"Your brother," I said. "Where is he? I have to see him."

"What makes you think I would let you see him?" she shot back.

"Ever miss Cassie, Teddy?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. I resisted the urge to smile when the look of complete shock was seen on her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Teddy muttered angrily.

"Cassie Hunter, I mean," I continued. "She was your neighbor. She lived in Maryfields, Oxfordshire with the Potters. I go to school with her. We're best friends. She talked to me about you and Spencer. You have no idea how worried she was when Spencer hit his head. I saw your letter that you sent through Mrs. Potter. It said there that you needed to tell her something but you still didn't say that he lost almost all of his memories. She wants to know why you guys left without any notice and I think she'd appreciate it if I go see Spencer for her. Please, Teddy. I have to help her. She's not coping very well."

It was silent for a few seconds. Teddy was staring at me open-mouthed. I was relieved that she was no longer glaring. Didi was eyeing Jess suspiciously. He was still standing beside me, panting slightly at he watched my conversation with the brunette.

"Who's he?" Teddy finally spoke, motioning her head towards Jess.

"This is Jess Preston," I said slowly.

Teddy gasped, her eyes widening. "Jesse?"

"Hi," Jess murmured. "You can call me Jess if ya want. It's sorta a nickname of mine nowadays."

"Thank God you're still normal," Teddy said. "I heard Jenna's not in the right mind."

"Shut up about her," Jess hissed. "You don't know anything."

Teddy was surprised at Jess' outburst but didn't comment on it. She simply turned back to me and gave me a stiff nod.

"We're living with our aunt at the moment," she said. "Not too far from here. Want to see him now?"

I beamed and nodded eagerly. Jess stiffened beside me, obviously nervous. I honestly did not understand his situation right now. Jenna thought she killed someone. Their mother has something to do with it too and she apparently knows something. What about their father? Didn't he notice something? Didn't he call the police when his wife told him? Unless, he was in it with his wife. But Jess only mentioned his mother, not his father. Did he even have any idea about this? Didn't they ask any of their other friends about Spencer and see if any of them knew that he left?

Honestly, something was very suspicious with this family. Jess and Jenna could have done so much to find out that Spencer actually moved to England. They could have asked his friends. He was bound to have at least a few friends here, right? They could have gone to the police where they would have found out if they just asked. Maybe they didn't go because they were so sure that he was dead. What does their mother know that they don't? This was seriously one messed up family. Everything about them was seriously just confusing.

"You're hiding something from me," I stated to Jess as Teddy led the way out of the shop and into the busy streets of Manhattan. Didi was walking beside her and Jess and I were trying to keep up behind them as I spoke.

"I already told you everything," he said. "There's nothing left to hide."

"There's something you're not telling me," I pressed on. "I can feel it."

"I'm not hiding anything else," Jess said through gritted teeth, clenching his fists.

Yes, I was pretty sure he was still hiding something. I didn't talk anymore though. I was Florence Flanagan. I would figure out his secret soon enough. That _was_ what I've doing for the past years of my life in Hogwarts. And I've been trying to get secrets out of Sirius Black and his friends. Jess is only one so this should be a piece of cake.

Teddy finally stopped in front a reasonably new building. She entered it and I followed her inside. We walked up the stairs, passing floor after floor until we finally stopped in a long brightly lit hallway. There were a quite a lot of doors with numbers on them and we walked passed door after door until Teddy stopped in front of the last one. She pulled out a key and unlocked it.

I faced a very neat apartment. Fluffy couches, coffee tables and a small kitchen was seen on the first floor and there was small staircase leading up to the next floor. Sitting on the couch was a young woman with curly dark hair that was tied up in a messy bun and her bored gray eyes, behind a pair of glasses, focusing on a book held by her left hand, her right hand holding up a bright red apple. She looked up at us when Teddy pushed the door open and her eyebrows shot up.

"Who're your new friends, Theodora?" the woman drawled.

"Don't call me that, _Aunt Leese_," Teddy snapped.

The woman, who must have been Teddy's aunt, growled and took a big bite from her shiny apple and chewed it angrily.

"Hi, Leese," Didi said cheerfully, waving at the angry aunt.

"Hey, Didi," Leese said, turning back to the way she was when we first came in, calm and bored as she read her book.

"We have some people over to take a look at Spencer, is that alright?" Teddy said, raising her eyebrows at her aunt.

"Do whatever you want," Leese drawled. "Just don't kill him."

Jess flinched so violently that everyone in the room turned to look at him. He avoided everyone's stares and started at his shoes.

"Okay, then," Teddy mumbled, frowning. "This way please."

She led us upstairs and to the nearest wooden door in the second floor. She knocked slightly and opened it.

"You two can go in," Teddy said. "He's getting better but if he starts to try and hurt you, just call me, alright?"

I nodded obediently and entered the room, pulling Jess in with me. I could feel him shaking when we entered but I didn't know what to say to calm him down.

The room wasn't too big. It was only enough for a single bed, a dresser and a small table where a Muggle electronic lay. On the bed was a boy who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen. His hair was messy and brown and his eyes were cold and hazel. He was sitting on his mattress, watching Jess and me enter his room. Nothing but his eyes were moving. When I closed the door behind me, I expected him to pounce and kill me right then and there. The way he watched us was terrifying. He was like a lion, watching its prey.

"Who are you?" he asked coolly. The way he spoke was a bit different from Teddy. There was a hint of a British accent but it wasn't obvious. I don't think an American would notice it but I did. I knew how we sounded like. He obviously picked up on our accent during his stay in England, unlike Teddy.

"My name is Florence Flanagan," I said quietly, hoping he had heard me.

"Florence, is it?" he replied. "Hmm… Florence… Alright, and you?"

Jess looked like he was paralyzed with fear. I couldn't imagine how he was feeling right now. Thankfully, he had snapped out of it and started to speak after a minute of staring at Spencer.

"Jess," he said. "Jess Preston."

Then, Spencer snapped.

"_What_?" he screamed, standing up on his bed and backing up against the wall. "_What did you say_?"

"My name is Jess Preston," Jess repeated, looking even more terrified than before.

I was scared as well. Not scared for myself. Scared for Spencer. Scared what might be happening inside his head right now. There was something there. The way he looked at Jess now. His eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Did you say Preston?" he whispered.

Jess nodded slowly.

"_JESS_!" I heard someone from outside the room scream desperately.

I immediately turned around to face the door and the same person had screamed Jess' name one more time. A crease formed in between Jess' eyebrows as he stared at the door as well.

"_What the fuck are you doing here_?"

"Get out of my way!"

I recognized the first voice to be Teddy but the second, I didn't know. It sounded slightly familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"JESS IS HERE!"

"Yeah, he is! I didn't say he wasn't!"

"_Where is he? What did he say to you?"_

"Nothing! What the hell, he didn't say anything to me! Ah, get out! I didn't fucking invite you inside!"

I wanted to go out and see what was happening but I was glued to the spot in Spencer's room. Jess seemed to have been glued to his own spot as well.

"She thinks I told them," Jess whispered hoarsely.

Suddenly, I heard someone storming upstairs and I recognized Teddy's voice calling her, maybe by her name. I couldn't make out what she was shouting. Then, the door I was just staring at flew open and I saw the dark-haired girl from the pastry shop, Jenna.

She glared so fiercely at Jess that I would have crawled under Spencer's bad if it was directed at me. Then, she saw Spencer, who was still up on his bed, his back flat on the wall.

"I'm seeing things," Jenna gasped. "No, no, no, no, no, this cannot be happening. You're not real. You're gone. You're _gone_."

Then, Teddy and Didi appeared in the doorway.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Jenna Preston?" Teddy hissed.

Jenna didn't seem to have heard her. She was too busy gaping at Spencer and Spencer was gaping right back.

"I remember you," Spencer whispered.

"_What_?" Teddy and Didi snapped, looking shocked.

"You did something to me," Spencer continued, his voice cracking. "You said you couldn't control it. I don't know what you did. It was all so fast."

"Spencer?" Jenna squeaked.

"My name is Spencer Zachary Abrams," he replied. "I'm eighteen years old. I moved to England at eleven years old after my father died of a heart attack and my mother married an English man."

"That's his exercise," I heard Teddy say quietly. "My mom makes him say it everyday to see if he might add something new in the end. It's her way of helping him remember."

"I have little step-sister called Vivian. My full sister is Teddy. Vivian is eight. Teddy is seventeen. I have friends from my old neighborhood but I don't know who they are. I moved back to America for me to remember my childhood."

"He's supposed to stop," Teddy said, tears falling from her eyes. "He can only recite until there. He shouldn't be able to remember anything after that. He never remembered anything after that."

But despite what Teddy said, Spencer had continued.

"I lived in a small apartment in Manhattan, New York. I used to go to the pastry shop called Cakes N' Icing all the time because it was my mother's favorite food place. She always found the place weird because she thought there was something weird about the customers eating there. It was like they never left. They were always there, watching us like we were outsiders. The lady who owned the shop hated my mother but she always came back for the food.

"The lady had a daughter called Jenna who she always brought to the shop with her. We easily became friends and the lady never liked me. Jenna never let me visit her house because she says her mother was always home and she'd just kick me out. She only told me her address but I was curious one day. I visited her house. I saw things. Things I never understood. Things that I didn't think was possible. Jenna panicked when she saw me and everything was black."

All of this was too much to process in a minute. I tried to think about what Spencer just said all at once. It was too much. I couldn't think straight. Jess and Jenna were absolutely terrified. Teddy seemed to have fainted in Didi's arms.

Jenna had triggered something in Spencer's head that made him remember his childhood. Was she that big of a part? And about the pastry shop. Now that I think of it, it was a bit weird. I remembered when Jenna had quitted and almost everyone in the shop didn't even spare her a glance during her outburst, as if they'd seen it often. I would come back and still, the same people would occupy the same tables but I never really thought about it until now.

When Spencer had entered Jenna's house, there were things that he didn't understand. Things that he thought weren't possible. I tried to remember the letters Cassie had sent me. Letters that told me about what exactly had happened to Spencer and why he had forgotten so much. How Spencer had reacted when he saw James. How he turned mental. She said it was because the Ministry had erased his memory using magic but I remember doubting that that wasn't the only reason why he would lose that much memory. Can it be? Just because of one simple charm, he'd forget all his past? I knew magic was strong but it was just a simple charm. It should have only erased half of his memory at least, shouldn't it have?

Jenna had panicked when she saw Spencer in her house. Jess had said Jenna did something really drastic that she wouldn't even tell her own brother what exactly she did. He had an idea though. I knew Jess had some idea of what Jenna exactly did to Spencer. Their mother as well. Their mother was involved in this mess. Jenna had ran out of their house and to the pastry shop to get Jess. When they came back, Spencer was gone and only their mother was there. Their mother did something when they were out and that resulted to Spencer's body being gone.

They thought he was dead but obviously, he wasn't. What could Mrs. Preston have done? I remembered the letter that Cassie sent a few days before I left for America. She explained how Spencer somehow remembered James but not his family. She thinks it was because his real memories of James were manipulated and most of them, erased. He didn't see James though. Cassie had only mentioned him, or at least, that's what Cassie had said in the letter. He had reacted when his name was mentioned. He had reacted as well when Jenna's last name was mentioned.

Then something in my head clicked. The odd things Spencer couldn't explain. The things he saw that he thought weren't possible. The fact that Jenna never invited him to the house. The fact that Mrs. Preston loathed Mrs. Abrams and her son. The fact that the pastry shop was very odd. There was only that moment in the same shop earlier when Mrs. Preston pulled out the same plate that Jenna had dropped, resulting it to break into pieces. I remembered her staring at the floor like some weirdo then pulling out the plate, unbroken and spotless. I remembered Jess saying that he wasn't normal. None of his family were normal.

It all made sense now.

I stomped towards Jess, who was still staring at Spencer. I grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"You're a wizard," I whispered quickly.

"Wh-what?" Jess stuttered.

"You're a fucking wizard and don't you dare deny it," I hissed. "Jenna had accidentally used her magic on Spencer when he visited and she let her emotions take over her, resulting to her using strong magic without even knowing how it happened in the first place. She thought he was dead and ran out to get you. Your mother was there and saw what happened. She probably healed Spencer and erased his memory of Jenna so he wouldn't remember a thing about what happened, also because she never even approved of her friendship with him.

"She probably dislikes Muggles, explaining why she doesn't like Spencer and his mum. I saw her repairing the plate Jenna had dropped earlier. I should have known when I saw it. There's something about that pastry shop of yours. The people who stay there every single day. They're wizards and witches too, aren't they? They're the only kind people that I know who would stay in the same place every day. Trust me, there's a pub back home where I already know everyone who stays in it. But that pub is invisible to Muggles. Why isn't this shop?"

"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about," Jess snapped.

"I'm a witch, Jess," I said, trying to keep it as quiet as possible. "I'm from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I practically live in the Leaky Cauldron. I figured out what happened that night with Jenna because almost the same thing happened when Spencer moved to England!"

"What do you mean?" Jess narrowed his eyes.

"He was neighbors with James Potter, a wizard two years younger than him. They were friends and James had accidentally told him what he really was. He reacted violently and the Ministry was forced to erase his memory. So they used magic on his head, _again_! He got into an accident, not too long ago. He hit his head really hard and the magic had messed his head up and erased everything about his past. The fact that his memory was erased heavily _twice _and he even got into a really bad accident is the reason why he cant remember a thing! But if you mention any of the names that involve the memories that were messed up the first two times, he's going to react and I'm pretty sure that when he sees the actual people, he's going to remember."

Jess stared at me, his mouth agape. "Yeah, I'm a wizard," he finally said. "A pureblood too. My family is one of the most respected in the wizarding world here in America. Mom and dad think everyone below us is scum, exactly why she didn't like Spencer in the first place."

I smiled slightly. "Well, my job here is done. I figured out what I need to figure out about Spencer and it's more than enough for Cassie, I'm sure."

I let go of Jess' collar and turned to the rest of the people in the room, most especially Jenna, who looked like she was about to faint.

"I know everything," I told her.

And with that, I briskly walked out of the room.

No one followed me out. I walked down the stairs and saw Leese on my way out. She lifted her head up and locked eyes with me for a second before looking back down to her book. I was thankful that she didn't say anything. I really wasn't in the mood to talk.

Despite the fact that I'm pretty sure Jenna and Jess are feeling far from happy right now, I was excited to get back home and out of this place that was filled with drama. I felt bad for thinking it but why did Cassie have to meet this kid? Their meeting just made it more complicated for everyone…

* * *

><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

"_PADFOOT! WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY SOCKS_?"

Ah, the early morning wake up call. Fantastic.

I opened my eyes slowly, immediately squinting when the light was too bright. I sat up on my bed, stretching and rubbing my eyes. I opened my mouth wide to yawn as I stretched then I found myself choking on a ball of socks.

I immediately spat it out and the joyful laughter of Sirius Black filled my ears and I raged.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY BLOODY ROOM?"

The taste of the socks weren't that bad but I still found it disgusting because I was pretty sure that they were owned by James Potter and his feet touched the cloth that just recently entered my mouth. I tackled Sirius to the floor.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Sirius pleaded, trying to push me off him as he laughed. "Alright, I'm sorry!"

I growled angrily at him before standing up. I didn't even offer a hand to help him.

"Get out of my room, Sirius," I snapped, walking to the bathroom door.

"Someone's cranky today," I heard him mumble as he stood up.

"PADFOOT, GET IN HERE YOU BLOODY IDIOT AND HELP ME FIND MY STUFF!"

"Well, you're not the only one cranky anyway."

Sirius grumpily pulled my door open and left the room, possibly to help James pack up his stuff. I bet the poor boy forget what date it was today, the first of September. I have to admit, though. I didn't blame him. I know how easy it is to lose track of the date during the summer.

I was about to enter my bathroom to take a nice long bath before apparating with Mr. and Mrs. Potter to the platform but an owl started to tap one of the windows in the room. I recognized it as Florence's sister's owl. I wondered what exactly Florence had to tell me at this time of the day and why it couldn't wait till later since I was obviously going to see her in the train.

I walked to the window anyway and slid it open. The owl hopped inside and stuck out its leg. I untied the letter and it immediately set off and I watched it fly away until it was no longer seen. I carefully unfolded the parchment and Florence's writing was messy and short.

_Talk later. Really important. -F_

Shrugging, I placed the letter in the rucksack that I brought everyday for my classes. She probably just found out some secret about the Marauders that I obviously didn't care about. Maybe she's been doing some more research about them in America or something.

My bath was long and it felt wonderful. After dressing into some Muggle clothes, I put on my rucksack, grabbed the handle of my trunk and exited my room. I stared at my room for the last time until Christmas and closed the door.

"Holy Merlin, what the hell are you doing here?"

I quickly turned around at the sound of Peter Pettigrew's voice.

"Merlin, you scared me to death!" I snapped at him.

He immediately looked guilty and stared at the floor, shifting his feet.

"Sorry, Hunter. Didn't mean it," he mumbled.

I softened. "No, it's alright. Hey, Peter. How are you doing?"

"Well, I visited last night," he said, looking up nervously and rubbing the back of his head.

I soft of felt bad for Peter. He was always sort of an outcast in the group called the Marauders. In fact, he wasn't all that bad. Each of the boys in the group were sweet and charming in their own way and Peter always seemed like the youngest and most innocent in the group. Well, I guess as innocent as you can get in that group… He didn't look all that bad either. Like the other three boys, he's had a few girls after him. With his curly chocolate brown hair and innocent blue eyes, some would think of him as adorable. He wasn't as thin as the other boys but he wasn't fat either.

He wasn't as handsome as Sirius, as charming as James or as smart as Remus. He was average. He was like thousands of other boys in this world. Maybe that's why he doesn't get girls as much as Sirius or James does. They always want the ones near perfect. I resisted the urge to snort. I'm pretty sure Sirius and James were far from perfect. Ignorant fourteen year-old girls who swoon over good-looking guys and automatically think that they're perfect because they have a nice body. Pathetic.

"So, why exactly are you here?" he asked.

I frowned. "Didn't James tell you that-"

And the black-haired boy with glasses himself stepped out of his room and saw us before I could even finish my sentence.

"Ah, Pete! I see you met Hunter," James said cheerfully.

"What's going on?" Peter said with a frown.

"Hunter lives with me, didn't you know?" James answered him. "Oh yeah, you don't. Sorry, Peter. Slipped my mind. So, yeah. She's been living with me since the start of fourth year because she had no where else to go and dad offered to let her stay here. She's been acting like she's the bloody queen of this place ever since. Questions?"

"Yeah, well, I've got something to say-" I started irritatedly.

"I didn't mean, you," James snapped before I could finish. Then his grin was back on his face when he faced Peter. "So, anything to say?"

"No, not really," Peter shrugged.

"Hey, I said I've got something to-"

"I'm sorry, but last time I checked, I was talking to _Peter_ and Peter _only_," James snapped once again. Then, his grin returned, turning back to Peter. "Thanks, Pete. Get back in there and start packing again. Merlin knows _this one_ looks a bit cranky this morning don't ya think." He jerked his head towards me when he said _this one_.

I growled at him as he entered his room once again with Peter. I angrily stomped down the staircase, my trunk banging after each step down. When I finally reached the living room, I dropped my trunk on the floor and threw my rucksack onto the couch. I entered the dining room, muttering furiously to myself. Mrs. Potter was bringing in a plate of pancakes and Mr. Potter was reading the Daily Prophet and his coffee magically stirred itself. Sirius was seated on one of the chairs, gazing absentmindedly at the magical stirrer.

Before I could sit down, I glanced outside the window to see the weather, only to spot someone standing outside the gates of the Potter Manor. Actually, not just someone. There were a lot of them. At least six. I couldn't see their faces clearly from this far away but I was determined to find out who they were.

"Mrs. Potter, there are people outside," I spoke, making Mrs. Potter stop walking, Mr. Potter looking up from his newspaper and Sirius snapping out some kind of trance. "I think I know who they are. Could I go talk to them?"

"Sure, dear," Mrs. Potter said with a warm smile. "Just don't stay out too long. We must leave soon."

I nodded obediently and slipped out of the dining room. I thought I saw Sirius looking out of the window that I was just looking at a few moments ago, his eyes narrowed. When I reached my front door, I exited the mansion and ran to the gates. As I got nearer, I realized who these people were. I cursed myself for not asking how to open the gate when I reached it so I was stuck talking to these people from behind the gate.

"What are you all doing here?" I asked quickly.

The dark-haired siblings exchanged nervous looks.

"We received a letter from Teddy," Don started.

"It's the first thing we ever got from her since she left," Donna continued.

"How's he?" I immediately asked.

Lacey, who was holding on to Bret's arm, stiffened. Bret sighed. Liam, who was to Bret's left, ruffled his hair slightly and Christine was standing far from everyone, glaring at the floor as she kicked a few little stones on the road.

"Spencer remembered someone," Don said nervously.

My eyes widened. "Who was it? A family member in America?"

"Well… no," Donna said. "A friend."

"A…. friend," I repeated slowly. I could feel a lump forming inside my throat. "Wh-Who?"

"We don't know her," Liam answered me, avoiding my eyes.

"Teddy said Spencer knew her a bit before they left," Donna explained quietly.

"Knew her a bit, huh?" I muttered.

"I cant believe he'd remember someone he _knew a bit_ and not us," Christine said angrily making everyone turn to her. "After every single fucking thing we've been through, he remembers one girl he _knew a bit_ in America! Great. Just _fucking_ brilliant."

"It's not his fault, Chris," Bret said quietly.

"I just don't understand why he would remember someone he _knew a bit _and not even fucking remember _us_!" Christine said, her voice cracking. "We were his best friends for years and he doesn't remember a single thing about any of of us and when he goes back to America, he remembers this little piece of shit!"

"Hey, we don't know the girl, Christine," Lacey snapped, her dark eyes narrowing at the redhead. "Stop talking like that."

"It's just so unfair!" Christine stomped her foot.

With that, she grabbed Liam's arm and dragged him away from the rest of the group. The two walked away without another word.

"She's still not coping very well," Bret said quietly. "I'm sorry about her."

"It's okay," I said. "I understand."

Lacey snorted. "No one understands Christine, love. Don't even bother trying. Anyway, that's all we needed to say to you. We figured you should know about it as well. Christine didn't want you to know but whatever. She never used to be like this. She used to be so happy. I don't know what happened to her."

"Thanks for telling me," I said.

"It was no problem," Don said. "I hope you don't take it the wrong way. He cant control who he remembers, I guess. We'll give him some time."

"See you, Cassie," Donna said glumly with a wave.

The four of them walked away and I watched them until they were out of sight.

* * *

><p><em>So Spencer does indeed have something deeper in his childhood. Who would have expected that? Is this the last of him? What about the Prestons from America? Let's hope Cassie doesn't face anymore problems soon. Though, she <em>is_ going back to Hogwarts. That place is just full of it._

_"So I'd like to know more about you so we can be…. I dunno, friends?" -Spencer Abrams, Live To Die, Chapter Ten, A Secret History_

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><p><strong><em>Replies to Anonymous Reviewers: (To everyone else please scroll down)<em>**_  
><em>

**_Kassidy Mercer: Here's the next one! Really hope you liked it. If you don't really get what happened with the whole Spencer thing, I explained it a bit in my authors note below. Thanks so much for reviewing! :)_**

**_AnonAG: Yes, I've been super busy! How is it possible for me to be even more busy during summer than when I actually have school? Thanks so much for leaving another review! I really hope you like this one. It goes deeper into Spencer's childhood. :)_**

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><p><strong><em><em>Hi, loves! I'm so sorry for the long wait but here's an extra long chapter for you all! I do hope you like it. I'll really try to update sooner this time. If you don't understand what exactly happened with Spencer and Jenna, I'll try to explain it in the simplest way possible if you just ask me. I'll PM it to you.**

**There are quite a few new OCs (including Spencer's friends) so if you want to see how they look like in my head, just tell me the names of the characters and I'll send you back some pictures! Of course, I have pictures of the canon characters as well so if ya want, you can get those too!**

**Any questions, suggestions or simply just thoughts, feel free to leave me a review. :)**


	24. A Helping Hand

**A Helping Hand**

_Rule #19: When given the chance, be as close to them as possible._**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>FLORENCE<strong>

I slammed the front page of the Daily Prophet on the tiny table in the compartment as soon as I entered.

"He was sighted," I said.

Cassie looked up from the book she was reading and raised her eyebrows at me.

"Who?" she asked.

"Harrison Hunter, of course," I said, wide-eyed.

She sat up straighter, placing her book down.

"Those bloody Ministry workers have no idea how to track this man down, do they?" I whispered dangerously.

"Flo, they're doing their best," Cassie sighed.

"No, they're not," I snapped. "They're doing lousy. Don't they even realize how bad this war is getting? All because of some stupid sadist who wants to kill everyone with his precious little allies!"

"I know your father died because of him, Florence," Cassie shot back. "My whole family died because of him too! I know how you feel! Talking about the Ministry like this isn't going to help! We cant do anything about it!"

Sighing, I sat on the opposite side of the table. I furiously ripped the Daily Prophet, muttering curses towards the Ministry. Cassie watched me cautiously.

"You said you had something important to tell me," Cassie started. "But before you say something, I have to say something first."

"Shoot."

"Spencer's friends came to my house this morning," she continued. "They send Teddy sent them a note saying that Spencer remember someone back in America. I know I haven't really known him for a long time but… I don't know, I guess I just feel bad that he remembers someone there and he doesn't remember me. It's stupid. I know."

"It's not stupid, Cassie," I assured her. "Look, I saw-"

"No, wait," Cassie interrupted. "I have to say this. You know the saying 'you don't realize what you've got until it's gone'?"

"Of course, I do." I muttered, thinking about how I felt after my mother told me my father was gone.

"Well, that could sort of relate to the situation I'm in now," Cassie said with a light chuckle.

"You liked him, didn't you?" I said, smiling.

"I did," she replied. "I didn't realize it until he was out of my life. It's sad, really. I doubt he even fancied me back. Liam says so. I don't believe him. Besides, he remembers someone back home. Probably a childhood sweetheart of some sort. I'm happy for him though. He's finally remembered someone. Maybe he'll start to remember his family next. I figure Teddy would be pretty pissed off though."

"You have no idea," I mumbled. "Hey, I need to tell you something. It's about Spencer."

"Did you run into him in the United States?" Cassie asked eagerly.

"Well, no. I didn't run into him…" I started slowly and I proceeded to tell her the whole story of my dramatic journey in Manhattan, New York.

She didn't say a word as I spoke but I knew that I had her full attention. When I had finished, silence took over in our compartment. Cassie was staring outside the window blankly. I knew there was something going on in her head. I had said quite a load. She should be letting it sink in right now. After a few minutes, she turned to look at me.

"He had his memory modified before he moved here?" she said quietly.

"Quite sad actually," I sighed. "Poor boy. Having his brain tampered with by a bunch of wizards twice."

"They nearly killed him," Cassie's voice getting louder.

"Well, that too."

Fuming, Cassie stood up.

"I'm going to kill that bitch."

Before she could leave the compartment, I ran to the sliding door.

"You're not going anywhere," I declared.

"They nearly bloody killed him!" Cassie screeched.

"Jenna didn't know what she was doing," I said. "She was like ten or something! We all do accidental magic. Her mum healed him anyway."

"_Healed him_?"

"Well, in a way, she did! She just erased his memory a bit after."

"She's the whole reason why Spencer cant remember a single shit about any of us! Do you know how Teddy feels right now? Or Liam? Or Lacey? Or _Christine_? It's so unfair that the only person he remembers is the girl who caused this whole thing in the first place!"

"He'll remember James," I told her. "I'm positive that he'll remember James if he sees him in person."

"I need some air," Cassie grunted angrily, trying to leave the compartment.

"No, you stay." I ordered. "I'll go. You need some time to think. I'll see you when we get there."

And with that, I left the compartment.

* * *

><p><strong>JAMES<strong>

"Hey, Evans. How was your sum-"

"Get away from me."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh beside me as we watched Lily Evans walk away from us and towards the Prefect's compartment.

"Rejected _again_, Prongs," Sirius chuckled, finally calming down as he wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.

Growling, I elbowed his stomach and he grunted, clutching his side. Remus, who stood beside Sirius, chuckled down at his best friend.

"You know James is sensitive when it comes to Evans, Padfoot," Remus said.

"I'm not sensitive," I snapped, staring longingly at Evans' back until she disappeared into another compartment.

"You can get more than half of the girls in Hogwarts with one sentence and you've been going for this one for more than three years. Prongs, this has to stop," Peter said with a light laugh.

"Oh, you'll see, Wormtail," I said, nodding determinedly. "I'm going to get that girl. I'll prove it to you all."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You said that last year, mate. And the year before that. And the year before that. And the year before-"

"Alright, alright, I guess I've been struggling a bit but I will!" I shot back. "I'm going to get her."

"Well, I guess if that's what you want," Remus sighed. "I'll give you my piece of advice then, Prongs. One thing you need is some help."

I saw Sirius open his mouth but he shut it when Remus shot him a glare.

"Not you, you idiot," he snapped. "I've seen all those ideas you gave him and I'm never letting him take that shit from you again unless he wants to heavily embarrass himself in front of the whole school."

Peter barked out a loud laugh. I even smiled a bit at the look of Sirius' face.

"Right, where was I?" Remus muttered. "Oh yes! Help. You need help, mate. Not from any of us either. None of us know a thing about girls."

"Excuse me, but _I_ happen to know quite a load about women, _Moony_, so-"

"Oh, shut it, Sirius," Remus shot back. "I'm pretty sure Peter knows ten times the amount of how much _you_ know women."

"It's true, you know," I added in thoughtfully. "Peter's dated two women and both lasted for about four to five months, correct?"

Peter gave me a thumbs up with a wide grin.

"Look, mate," Remus sighed, putting a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "We're not saying that you're a player or anything. In fact, you really aren't. A lot of guys think you are though. Screw them. Anyway, you know what you actually do? All you do is see girls. Meaning, you hang out with one for about two to four weeks then you'll back off and stop seeing her because you say she's not your type. You know what I think? I think you're afraid of getting in a relationship."

Sirius scoffed.

"No, I'm not kidding!" Remus said. "Mate, you're just afraid of getting serious with a girl. Or you're afraid of that fact that they might just be seeing you because you're a pureblood and you have money. Kind of like how James gets a few girls following him around because they know that if they become his girlfriend, they'll get really nice things cause of his money, am I right Prongs?"

"Absolutely," I agreed wholeheartedly.

In fact, he _was_ right. Sirius would never admit it but, yes, he was indeed afraid of getting into a relationship of what the girl might actually think of him. It was normal to think like that because rich guys really better be careful with the girl he's dating because she might just be there for the money. I've had a few girls like that. It's normal. Sirius should have some fun sometimes though. It would be nice to see him crazy over one girl, kind of like how I am with Evans.

Actually… no, he shouldn't act like how I act around Evans. One me is enough in our group.

"That's shit," Sirius snorted.

Remus shrugged. "Whatever, mate. You should just loosen up a bit. See, even ask Peter how his girls were! Pretty decent, weren't they, Wormtail?"

"Pretty okay, I guess," Peter shrugged. "You do remember Liz sort of cheated on me, right?"

"Oh yeah," Remus mumbled, his eyebrows furrowed.

I laughed and patted him on the back. "I think you should stop giving your oh, so amazing advice and get to the Prefect's compartment because three of the Prefects are sticking their heads out of their compartment right now and I've got this _tiny_ feeling that they're looking for you."

"_Remus_!" one of them shouted and her voice echoed inside the hallway of the Hogwarts Express.

"Oh, shit," Remus muttered, his eyes wide as he stared at the furious Prefect looking around the hallway for him. "Better go guys. See you later."

He briskly walked towards the angry prefects, his head down. The one shouting his name put a hand on his back and pushed him in the compartment, saying something that sounded like _Get your arse in there_.

"And they think _he's_ the responsible one," Sirius commented with a snort.

"Better him than you, mate," Peter said.

Chuckling, I turned to the compartment we were supposed to occupy. It was our usual compartment and we tried to stay in it every year. Before I could take a step towards it though, someone bumped into me and that someone fell backwards to the ground. I stumbled and my glasses had fallen to the floor. I bent down and picked the first pair I had felt and roughly put it on. I blinked a few times, trying to get used to the clear figures around me.

What was weird was the fact that there weren't clear figures around me. I was wearing a pair of glasses but everything was too blurry and I couldn't see anything. Why did wearing my glasses feel so different? They felt so heavy as they rested on my nose bridge.

"Gimme that," someone said, snatching my glasses off my face. The same person placed a new pair on my nose and I brought my hands up to it to straighten it. I felt the familiar thin wire of my own glasses as I held it and I blinked rapidly, getting used to the clear figures around me again. This time, everything _was_ clear. The person standing directly in front of me was probably wearing the pair of glasses that I accidentally wore. Her striking brown eyes were wide as she stared and she played nervously with the ends of her straight red hair.

"Sorry for bumping into you," she said quietly.

Shrugging, I ruffled my hair. "Nah, it's all right. No one got hurt."

"Hey, you're Hunter's mate, aren't you?" Sirius blurted out.

The redhead turned to him, eyes wide. Her cheeks had colored a bit. She gave him a stiff nod.

Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea.

"Do you know Lily Evans?" I asked her.

Sirius and Peter shot me looks but I ignored them.

"We're in the same year," she said.

"Yeah, but you're a girl," I said. "You can understand her and stuff."

She shrugged. "I guess so…"

"Would you mind helping me with something?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her.

She blinked.

"Say no, say no, say no, say no," I could hear Peter chanting under his breath. Sirius probably also heard him and starting to chant with him.

They might think they were quiet but really, they were loud as hell. The redhead looked in their direction a few times too. I just wanted to punch both their bloody faces.

"Please," I begged, giving her a nervous grin.

"I guess it depends on what I'm supposed to help you with," she finally said.

"Well, I've been wanting to ask Evans out for as long as I can remember and when I do, she always says no. I'm really not that good with girls and the best help I've gotten is from Sirius. See where _that_ got me, huh?"

"Hey! I've given you loads of brilliant advice befo-"

"Shut it," I snapped at him before turning back to the redhead. "So, please? I'll give you anything you want!"

"No, you don't have to give me anything," she said. "Fine, I'll help."

Grinning, I pulled her in a tight hug as Sirius and Peter groaned behind me. I let the redhead go, still beaming at her. She seemed a bit awkward but she smiled lightly at me.

"Brilliant!" I exclaimed. "What's your name anyway? Sorry, I forgot. All I know is that you're in our year and you're a Gryffindor, right?"

"I'm Florence," she said. "Nice to meet you, James Potter."

* * *

><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

Florence and I didn't speak throughout the feast. Everything was a blur. After the feast, I had collapsed on my bed in the tower and slept peacefully till the morning. I was glad I didn't have any nightmares for the night. I didn't get any for the next few days either. I always avoided the topic of Spencer when I was with Florence and we always ended up talking about something dull like homework. She was hiding something from me though. I could feel it.

Every after classes, she'd always leave me because she says that she had to go meet someone in the library. I never really thought about who the person was but after the first week of school, I was getting very suspicious. Of course, if she didn't want to tell me where she was going, I didn't want to force her to so I let her be.

Two weeks into sixth year was very dull. Nothing very interesting going on unless you count a bunch of students leaving the Great Hall every morning because they got a purple letter from the Ministry. I never wanted to get one of those. Of course, I didn't think I ever would since my whole family was dead already. I was worried for Florence though. I'd catch her staring at the Ministry owls from time to time.

After a very boring two weeks, the fun had finally begun. Well… I think only James Potter would find this fun because two weeks into school means start of tryouts and Quidditch practice. Whoopie.

Actually, since we still had all the members in the team, James didn't have to hold tryouts and he was happy not to do so.

After my last class of the day, I immediately ran to the Gryffindor Tower to grab my broomstick. Unfortunately, someone had decided to have me late for my first practice by bumping into me on my way there. Fortunately, though, it was someone who I had been dying to talk to again for months.

"Regulus!" I gasped, running to him and pulling him into a hug.

He hugged me back tightly as I buried my face in his shoulder.

"Oh, thank Merlin," he murmured.

"Are you all right?" I asked quietly. "You don't sound too good."

"I'm just happy you're okay," he replied, his silver eyes piercing my own green orbs.

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"Look, Cassie," he said, his tone getting lower. "You haven't exactly been a favorite in the Dark Lord's circle, especially since you're Harrison Hunter's daughter. Evan Rosier and Amycus Carrow already have some sort of grudge on you."

"I don't care about what they think of me. You should know that," I told him.

He shook his head, an almost desperate look on his face. "No, Cassie, listen to me. This is bad. This is really really bad. They know that I know you and if they see us, we're going to be in very big trouble. You know Alex Greengrass?"

I gasped, pushing myself away from him and giving him a cold glare. "Don't you dare go near that boy," I hissed. "Don't you dare, Regulus."

"It wasn't my idea, I swear!" Regulus said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "I was even against it. They just wanted to get to know him more and try to talk him into the group."

"_Why_?" I exclaimed, anger boiling inside me. "He's in third year, Regulus! _Third year_!"

"They talked to me in third year too."

"I don't care!" I spat. "You grew up with a family supporting You-Know-Who. Alex didn't! He wouldn't know what he's getting into!"

"I'll look after him, I promise," Regulus said. "I cant do anything about it anymore. He's starting to hang out with the sixth years. They've already befriended him. There's nothing I can do now."

"Why didn't you do anything before any of this happened then?"

"Because I didn't know he was important to you," he answered, staring at me straight in the eye. "I didn't know you knew him. I didn't know he knew you."

"How did you know then?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"He mentioned you to me," he explained. "He thought of me as the most approachable of the group and told me that he knew a Gryffindor and was somehow friends with her. I asked him who she was and he told me your name. Somehow, Snape found out and Alex got in trouble. I have no idea how he found out. I didn't say anything, I swear!"

"If any of them lay a wand on him, I will snap their necks one by one," I growled.

"Why is he so special?" Regulus asked. "What did he do to make you care for him so much?"

"He saved my life," I said simply. "I'm going to repay him by saving his as well. The only way I can do that is to get him out of your little circle."

"I'll get him out. I promise, Cassie, I will."

"No, I'll get him out," I snapped. "Not even you, I can trust. You're part of them and I have to accept that."

"I'm not like them. Hey, you know I'm not. I have to join them but I'm nothing like them."

"If I ever see Alex Greengrass walking down the hall with even just the littlest wound on his skin and I found out that any of you did that, I will throw you all off the Astronomy Tower."

I sent him one last glare before briskly walking away from him and towards the Gryffindor Tower. I could hear him running after me but I don't slow down. He reaches me but jogs to keep up with my pace.

"I'm going to help you," he said. "I don't care what you say. I'm going to make sure he's going to be alright."

He stopped jogging so he fell back as I kept walking. When I turned to another hallway, I couldn't help but smile a bit. I knew I wasn't going to be alone in this and I was happy about that.

* * *

><p>Practice was exhausting. After showering, I immediately set off towards the Great Hall. I could barely feel my legs but I was alive and that's all that matters. When I reached the giant double doors, I saw the four Marauders huddled up. As I got nearer, I noticed there was one extra. The girl was a redhead and I almost thought that Lily Evans had finally become friends with the boys and joined them in their group. Of course, that idea was thrown out the window when I saw the girl's face.<p>

"Florence?" I said in shock, walking faster towards the huddled group.

They all immediately separated when they saw me coming and Florence gave me a guilty look.

"Hi, Cass. What are you doing here?" she said with an awkward chuckle.

I glared at her. "Would you care to explain?"

Sighing in defeat, she proceeded to explain. "I'm helping James get Lily Evans..."

"Why the fuck are you helping him? Since when did you two even know each other?" I said, frowning.

"Hey, we're actually pretty close friends if you-"

"He bumped into me in the compartment and asked me to help him with Lily Evans since I was a girl," Florence interrupted James.

"If you say it like that, it makes me sounds like some psychopath who'd be so desperate to ask just some random girl for help."

"Which you are," Sirius and Peter added in.

"Well, let him suffer then," I said nastily. "As if he deserves your help."

"Cassie," Florence sighed.

"She already said yes, Hunter. You're going to have to deal with that," James said, narrowing his eyes at me. "Now, if you have anything else to say, feel free to do so. If you have none, I'd rather you leave now until I found more reasons to prank your guts next week."

I wanted to punch his face but Florence sent me a pleading look, obviously telling me not to upset him. Then I realized why this was so important to her. She's spent all her life in Hogwarts to get to know these boys and find out all their secrets. Now was her big chance. I sighed, letting my anger subside. I was doing this for her only because she's worked so hard for this moment all her life.

She better get some dirty secrets.

Right at that moment, Lily Evans walked out of the Great Hall with her friends, Alice and Marlene. James grinned widely at the sight of the beautiful redhead.

"Just like I said, James," Florence reminded him.

James nodded and approached the girls. I waited with Florence and the other Marauders, watching their conversation. I could hear what they were saying from where I saw since we weren't too far away from them.

"Hello, Ev- I mean, _Lily_," James greeted cheerfully.

Lily, Alice and Marlene immediately stopped walking. Lily narrowed her eyes at the black-haired male.

"What do you want?" she asked irritatedly.

"Nothing, really," James said. "I just wanted to ask how your day was going. We never really talk much… Well, usually, I ask you out the second I see you and you say no but that's it. I guess I should get to know you a bit first. So, you all right?"

Lily looked surprised at what James had just said. She obviously didn't expect him to say that. I turned my gaze towards Florence who was smiling smugly, obviously thinking about how well her plan was going. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Well, it was okay," Lily's voice made me snap my head towards their conversation again. "Had a good discussion in Transfiguration. Even you and the boys had raised your hands up to recite."

"Transfiguration is our favorite subject," James flashed her a wide grin.

"Yeah…" Lily said, still eyeing James suspiciously, obviously wondering what exactly the messy-haired boy was up to.

"Well, it's nice talking to you," James continued to speak. "but I've got to run back in. Haven't eaten a single spoonful since lunch. Quidditch does have its disadvantages, eh?"

"Th-that's it?" Lily stuttered, staring wide-eyed at him.

"Yep, see you around, Lily!" he waved cheerfully before walking into the Great Hall.

The three Marauders with us laughed heartily and followed him inside. I watched as Lily stared at the exact same spot where James was just standing before. She seemed to have been too shocked to even move. Marlene and Alice tried to poke or shake her out of her trance but she stayed still. Finally, Marlene got impatient and briskly walked up the marble staircase, dragging Lily with her. Lily had finally started to move so Marlene wouldn't drag her up.

"And now, we listen to what they have to say," Florence whispered beside me, grinning madly.

She followed the three Gryffindors upstairs and I had no choice but to follow her. Lily, Marlene and Alice hadn't looked back so they didn't see us following them. They walked pretty fast so it was hard to keep up. As we followed them from behind, Florence growled angrily when she realized that we were walking too far from them to hear what they were saying.

Florence started to walk faster and as she walked, she pulled a hair tie out from her pocket and braided her hair in record time then tying the end. She pulled a winter hat out of her bag and shoved it on her head, almost covering half her face. She took her ridiculously bright green glasses off and dropped it in her bag. She shoved her long braid in the winter hat and she suddenly didn't look like herself anymore.

I didn't know what to do with myself so Florence had done it for me. She walked behind me and grabbed a spray bottle from inside her bad. She sprayed it on my head before I could react. I grabbed the ends of my hair to see what had happened. My hair was brown. Not blonde. Brown. Before I could start cursing Florence out loud, she slammed her glasses on my face. I could see that they had changed size and color, making them look like normal glasses now. Seriously, where does she get all these cool items?

Florence was back to walking beside me and I had to jog to keep up with her pace. When we finally reached the three girls again, we didn't stay too far from them this time. We could now hear everything they were saying. I guess Florence knew that if we were going to be this near the people we were eavesdropping on, we had to be careful to hide our appearances.

"Don't you find it odd too, Marlene?" Alice said.

"Oh, you have no idea how odd I find it," Marlene answered.

"That boy was up to something and I'm going to find out what the hell it is," Lily said determinedly.

"Lily, what if he really does just want to get to know you more?" Alice asked.

"He doesn't!" Lily snapped stubbornly. "Why would he just go all friendly on me like that out of the blue?"

"Maybe to finally let you know that he isn't all that bad?"

"Alice, who's side are you on?" Lily hissed.

"Now, now, girls," Marlene interrupted the argument. "Stop it. Lily, we don't know what he's doing so don't assume. Alice, just shut up."

"I'm not assuming anything, Marlene," Lily muttered irritatedly. "I know that's he's planning something again and I have to watch out."

"I still think he really does like you," Alice added in.

"Alice, didn't I tell you to shut it?" Marlene snapped before Lily could blow up.

"I was just saying."

"Ugh, Marlene, why do you even fancy him?" Lily said angrily, clenching her fists.

"Aw, Lily's jealous." Alice giggled.

"I'm not jealous!" Lily hissed.

I snuck a glance at Florence as we walked. She was grinning, her brown eyes glinting in the dark.

"Jackpot," she murmured.

* * *

><p><em>Looks like Florence has heard what she needed. If only she knew this little decision of hers to help James with Lily would lead to so many things. Is drama included? Might be. Florence wouldn't know what hit her.<em>

_"I would do anything for Sirius Black to notice me." -Florence Flanagan, Live To Die, Chapter Two, A Difficult Favor_

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><p><strong>Replies to Anonymous reviewers: (To everyone else please scroll down)<strong>

**Siriuslove- Hey there. Look, I'm sorry if I haven't been updating fast but you have no idea how stressful life is right now. It's the summer, I know. I think I'm twice as busy in the summer than in school. I hope you understand. :( Thanks for reviewing though! Oh and btw, Spencer really isn't dead. Jenna and Jess just thought he was. If you need further explanation, just ask. :) Thanks for reviewing, again, love! Mwah!**

**Kassidy Mercer- And they're back in Hogwarts! Whoopie! Yes, indeed, I do have something planned out for the two of them! Now, I know I'm still thinking about who Cassie will really end up with but chances are, she wont be able toend up with James especially with the whole Lily thing. There is something big going to happen still! It starts with Florence helping the Marauders out. :) Well, at least just James. Thanks for the review, love!**

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><p><strong>Life hasn't exactly been good to me so why don't you cheer me up with some reviews? I managed to do this chapter for you guys with much hard work. Thanks so much to everyone out there reading this. You're the reason why I'm still typing. So sorry for the delay of this chapter but I couldn't update until now. :)<strong>

**If you want to see pictures of any of the characters, just ask me who. Suggestions, questions or simply just thoughts are always welcome. Till next time loves!**


	25. Tea With The Keeper Of Keys

**Tea With The Keeper Of Keys**

_Rule #20: Be aware of their reactions._

* * *

><p>The library could have been my best friend during my sixth year only because I was there every single day during free periods and breaks to do all the homework that the bloody Professors have laid on our backs. Honestly, I thought the load of homework would stop in fifth year but apparently, they decided to torture us further and make us drown in the amount of essays they're making us do for the week.<p>

Of course, while I was trying to focus on my last essay for the day, Florence decided to barge in. She literally just pushed the door open, not even in her complete uniform. This girl was psychotic. Why the hell would she enter the library without her Gryffindor robe and jumper, her sleeves folded up to her elbows, her tie missing and her black shoes replaced by a pair of white sneakers? Honestly, did she even think about Madam Pince being here, since she _was_ in the library.

"Ms. Flanagan," Madam Pince appeared out of one of the aisles, staring disapprovingly at Florence. "What in the world are you wearing?"

"Oh! 'Lo, Madam Pince," Florence greeted her nervously, stuffing her hand inside her bag and pulling out her scarlet and gold tie. She hastily put it around her neck and tied it in record time.

Madam Pince narrowed her eyes at the redhead before walking back to the aisle she was in. I saw Florence let out a sigh and grinned when she saw me at my table. She walked briskly to me and sat on the chair on the opposite side of the table.

"Honestly, Flo, don't you have your own homework to do?" I asked her quietly. "I practically live in here and not once did I see you sitting on the corner with your books and parchment."

"Of course, I do homework, love," Florence snorted. "Why do you think I passed my O.W.L.s last year?"

"You passing your O.W.L.s has nothing to do with you doing our homework, Flo," I rolled my eyes at her. "You studied for those tests. I meant the homework the teachers have been giving us these days. Anyway, you barely passed all your O.W.L.s, you know that?"

"I did pass!" she frowned. "I just got a T for History of Magic and Herbology."

"Flo, T is the lowest grade and you got two."

"At least I got an O for Transfiguration," she said smugly. "What did you get? Oh, what was that? An A?"

I glared at her. "Well, that's different. You transfigure yourself almost everyday to follow a bunch of people."

"Excuse me, but I follow people around for very good reasons!"

I rolled my eyes at her once again and returned to finishing my Potions essay.

"Bloody hell, you made me forgot what exactly I was supposed to do after finding you," Florence muttered irritatedly.

"Why don't you get your books and do the Potions homework with me?" I said.

She snorted and stood up. She left the library without another word.

"Suit yourself," I muttered.

Then, the door burst open once again.

"Cassie!"

"Mr. Grace, keep your voice down," Madam Pince hissed at him, appearing from the same aisle she disappeared to before.

"Sorry, sorry," Damian Grace muttered, before spotting me and his face lighting up.

Damian Grace was in fifth year, wasn't he? He's also our current third Chaser on the Gryffindor team. He was possibly my favorite person on the team only because he's the biggest sweetheart in the world and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't hurt a fly. He looked really innocent as well. His dark hair straight as his bangs fell right above a pair of big brown eyes. He was shorter than most people his age. He was the nicest person on earth and it annoyed me sometimes. Why couldn't everyone be like him?

Then, the door of the library opened again and this time, our Beater, Jenna Goldstein entered but she preferred people to call her Jenn. And yes, with a double n. James once spelled her name with one n in his list of the members of the Gryffindor team and she raged like fuck. She also wasn't bad-looking. She had blonde hair, like me. A bit more of dark blonde though. Her eyes were small and dark but I would never look into them and call her intimidating because she's actually a really nice person once you get to know her. Has a bit of a temper though. James learned that the hard way.

"'Ello, Cassie!" Damian greeted me cheerfully as he walked towards my table, Jenn following him here.

"Hi, Damian. Hi, Jenn," I lifted my head up from my nearly completed essay to smile at the two of them.

Jenn smiled lightly back at me. We've never actually really talked much before and I always that that she hated me but the more times I've practiced it her, I noticed that she wasn't all that bad and she was actually really nice.

"Were you two looking for me?" I asked, looking back down at my essay.

"Damian was," Jenn said.

"What's up?" I said, keeping my essay and fixing all my stuff.

"Oh, are you leaving?" Damian asked nervously. "I can bother you next time, if you want."

"No, I'm not leaving," I assured him. "Just fixing my stuff. You can sit down if you like."

Damian grinned and sat down in front of me. Jenn sighed, dropped her bag on the ground and took the chair beside him.

"I just needed to ask you a question, actually," he started. I nodded, gesturing for him to go on. "Are James and Marlene dating?"

If I was drinking at the time, I would have spat it out at Damian's face but fortunately, I wasn't drinking so I was stuck with just gaping at him with my mouth open.

"I told you she didn't know," Jenn mumbled.

Damian sighed. "Well, it was worth a shot."

"Why were you asking me that anyway?" I blurted out.

"Damian fancies her," Jenn said casually.

"I do not!"

Jenn rolled her eyes then mouthing _he does_ to me after. I chuckled. I never really knew these two were friends. I didn't normally pay attention to them during practice though so maybe they usually talked while I was trying to eavesdrop on Sirius and James to get information for Florence.

"Aw, that's cute," I said, laughing lightly.

"I was just curious," Damian mumbled.

"She's a year older than you, Damian," I told him.

"Age is just a number," he said.

I laughed, resulting to Madam Pince coming out of nowhere and shushing me angrily. I mumbled an apology and she once again disappeared into an aisle.

"Look, Damian," I said quietly. "I don't know if Marlene and James are dating but don't the two hate each other? Well, at least, I know James hates her."

"I've seen Marlene staring at him since last year. I think she only argues with him because she fancies him. You know, some people are actually like that."

I bit my lip to keep me from saying that Marlene _does_ fancy James. Poor Damian. The poor boy's crush doesn't like him back. Honestly, I think Marlene can do better than James Potter. Especially since James is already in love with Lily and I'm pretty sure nothing can change his mind on that.

"Gah! It's nearly five," Jenn gasped, looking at her watch. "Come on. We better go before James gets the chance to wring our necks."

Damian nodded determinedly and the two stood up together.

"Hey, where are you going?" I frowned.

"Team meeting," Jenn said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

In fact, someone did tell me. Marlene. I completely forgot. Cursing, I stood up and with a swipe of my hand, all my quills and parchment fell into my bag and the three of us left the library silently. When we stepped outside, we immediately started to run towards the abandoned classroom that James managed to reserve for us after talking to Professor McGonagall about it. Unfortunately, the classroom was located on one of the highest floors in the castle so we had to run up different staircases.

Damian even almost fell off one because he was leading us and when he was about to reach the top of the staircase and step off, the staircase moved and he nearly fell. Honestly, how is Hogwarts the safest place to be during this war? We all might die of falling off moving staircases anyway.

When we finally reached the classroom, the three of us were exhausted. We were also two minutes late.

"No wonder you're late. Hunter's with you!"James said in realization as the three of us walked in the classroom. Sirius snorted from his seat. James was standing in front.

"Sorry," Damian muttered, staring at the ground.

"Hey, it was your idea to set up a meeting on one of the highest floors possible," I spat.

"I do remember telling you all to leave early."

"Sorry, James," Jenn said. "It wont happen again."

"You didn't even start yet," I snarled.

Jenn's elbow hit my side and I clutched it, trying not to double over. I shot her a glare which she returned. What the hell is her problem?

"What was that, Hunter?" James raised his eyebrows at me.

"Nothing," I grunted.

He sent me a fake smile and turned to Jenn and Damian.

"To your seats, you two," he drawled.

Damian and Jenn immediately walked briskly to their seats. I followed them, still clutching the side of my stomach. I took the seat in between Damian and Felicity and turned my attention to James once again, resisting the urge to glare at him again.

"So, team," James started. "Quidditch season is fast approaching and-"

"It's the start of October," I pointed out.

"Will you shut up?" Jenn spun around to face me, giving me a cold look.

I blinked at her and she turned back to James when I didn't say anything. James cleared his throat and started to speak again as though nothing happened. I hadn't really listened much after that. The whole meeting took about an hour and when we were dismissed, I was the first one out. Before I could run down the stairs to the Great Hall for supper though, someone pulled me back inside the classroom, only the two of us left.

"Hi," Jenn said coldly.

I blinked. "What's up?"

She glared at me and I had no idea what the hell I did to her. We stayed there in silence until I spoke.

"Why do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you. I dislike you."

"Same thing."

"It's not," Jenn snapped. "You annoy me. You get on my nerves. Every time you open that mouth of yours to say a sassy comment, I want to punch your face. But no, I don't hate you."

I stared weirdly at her. "What are you-"

"I brought you back here to tell you to stop it," she interrupted.

"Stop what?"

"That attitude of yours! That bloody attitude whenever James is present! You know what you're becoming? Another Lily Evans! You've become exactly like her whenever James Potter is around. I want you to get off your high horse because the way you treat James just makes you look as low as him."

"You have no idea what that boy put me through, all right?" I hissed. "No fucking idea!"

"I do have an idea of what he put you through because I watched every single pranked that he and his mates pulled on you," Jenn shot back. "It wasn't nice, I know. But that attitude of yours annoys the hell out of me and one Lily Evans in this castle is enough! I liked you better when you were the shy girl in the corner, just taking in everything James said."

"I need to stick up for myself."

"Not like this," she scoffed. "I know you hate the boy but fighting back isn't going to do anything good. He's an arse. I know that. His head needs to deflate. I know that. But don't you see why you cant be an Evans? James has been in this school since first year and despite his big head, everyone's learned to love him. His relationship with Lily Evans gives everyone something to talk about and everyone's learned to love their love-hate relationship as well. That's the system here in Hogwarts. Then you move here and you're more like Lily Evans than I thought. But you see, no one's going to like you if you act like her because they'll see you as the desperate new girl who wants everyone to pay attention to her."

"I'm not like that," I squeaked out.

"I know you aren't," she said in a softer tone. "but that's what everyone's going to think. I'm trying to help you here, Cassie. You've already gone off to a wrong start with everyone here. Your father is Harrison Hunter, one of You-Know-Who's dedicated followers. If they see you as someone who's 'trying to be cool' then you're in trouble because James and his friends aren't the only ones who're going to be bullying you. James and Lily argue. You don't interfere. I'm trying to help you, Cassie. It's best to be like you were in fourth year. Lay low."

She sent me a tight smile and left the room.

* * *

><p><strong>FLORENCE<strong>

I was nearly finished with my dessert when Cassie entered the Great Hall. She wasn't really watching where exactly she was going because she bumped several students and not even apologizing when they fell to the ground. She finally reached my part of the Gryffindor table and sat beside me. Without a word, she grabbed her spoon and scooped up some mashed potatoes on the bowl in front of her. I let her eat first before I asked what was going on with her.

After she finished the roast beef she had piled on her plate, I turned swiftly to her before she could leave.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, frowning.

"Do I act like Lily Evans?" she said, turning to me.

I blinked. "What?"

"Jenn Goldstein told me that I acted like Lily Evans and everyone would hate it if I did," she explained quietly.

"Oh…" I said. "Well, I don't think so… I mean, I haven't really noticed it."

"Do you think everyone would hate it if I acted like Lily Evans?"

I bit my lip. "Well, you see, Cassie, with the whole situation of Lily and James, it's something the students love to talk about. James' daily arguments with Lily that can be heard from miles away is part of the system here in Hogwarts. Some are already betting whether they'll get married in the future or not. It's a normality here. Now, if someone starts to interfere, obviously, people would get annoyed because that someone is interfering with the system."

I flinched when Cassie suddenly banged her head on the table, making a few Gryffindors near us turn to look at her.

"Everyone hates me," she groaned.

"Oh, love, of course not," I rubbed her back. "Just stop the constant fights with James then you'll blend in the crowd again and the system will be back to normal, meaning James and Lily arguing and James asking her out and her saying no."

"What if they get together, though?" she lifted her head and asked me.

"Then half of the students of Hogwarts will get richer by five to ten Galleons," Florence said.

"I'm serious, Flo," Cassie said miserably. "I never intended to break the system! I swear!"

"I know you didn't, love," I sighed. "Just don't mind him anymore, all right? It's better that way."

I stood up and grabbed her arm, pulling her up with me.

"Let's go do some of that homework now, shall we?" I smiled.

She grinned at me and we walked out of the Great Hall, arms linked.

* * *

><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

It was nearly the first Quidditch game of the season. Next week is the Halloween feast and the day after that int he first of November. I could already feel the cool winds of the November air and I could hardly wait for it. I always liked the cold. Better than the summer at least. Christmas was always my favorite time of the year.

Classes were getting harder and harder though. I honestly regret taking up History of Magic. Who the hell takes History of Magic after O.W.L.s? I should have listened to Florence…

Since it was Friday today, I decided to drop the books today and relax by walking around the castle. Florence had an appointment with James and Sirius to discuss more about Lily Evans. She told me to come with her but I declined, not wanting to be in the presence of the two male Gryffindor sixth years.

After school, I casually walked outside the castle. It was always so peaceful outside and not the part where the lake is and where everyone goes. There's the part where the Keeper of Keys, Hagrid's hut is. Nobody ever goes there so I like to walk around there wearing my red coat and jeans. It was nice that the teachers let the students where their ordinary clothes after classes. I always felt cold wearing my uniform outside, even with the robes on.

As I walked on the grass, I stared at my feet, counting each step I made. I always made sure that my mind was at peace when I was doing this. I didn't want anything in my head to ruin this peaceful moment. Not James. Not You-Know-Who. Not my father. Everything was blank.

The grass swayed slightly and I had to hold on to my coat to keep it from flying up. I wish I had tied my hair before going here to keep it from going all over the place. I stared up at the sky and a beautiful sunset. Someone was there with me but I really didn't care. I didn't think they were approaching me until a giant hand laid on my left shoulder. I jumped in surprise and turned around, almost whipping out my wand. Turns out, it was only Hagrid.

"Hi," I gasped out at his large figure, staring at him wide-eyed.

"I remember yeh," he said kindly. "'Know yer the new girl, aren't yeh?"

"When I was fourth year, yes," I replied.

He nodded. "Well, then, since yer jus' out 'ere, why don't yeh come in fer some tea?"

I blinked. "Yes, I'd love that," I smiled.

"Great!" Hagrid smiled back.

He led me down to his hut and I could hear the faint sound of a dog. A dog barking.

"Do you have an animal in there?" I asked curiously as we walked nearer.

"Name's Fang," Hagrid said cheerfully. "A dog o' mine."

When we were right in front of his door, I could hear the sound of someone talking. A person. There was someone in there. Before I could ask Hagrid who it was, he opened the door and I saw a large black dog on a boy's lap. This boy, I could recognize anywhere with his unevenly cut sandy hair and big chocolate brown eyes.

"Hagrid!" Remus Lupin gasped. "Get him off!"

"Now, Fang," Hagrid said sternly at the dog. "Yeh cant sit on Remus' lap jus' like tha'."

Fang whimpered a bit and jumped back on the ground. He curled up on the corner, beside the fireplace.

"Hey," Remus said, staring wide-eyed at me. "What are you doing here?"

"Invited 'er over, I did!" Hargid happily patted my shoulder, nearly making me fall on my knees.

Remus noticed and he couldn't help but smile a bit.

"So, yeh've met?" Hagrid asked.

"Sort of," Remus answered him.

"So, how's Hogwarts? I know it's tough ter be the new studen', Cassie," Hagrid asked me as he walked to one of his cabinets to get a large mug.

"It sort of is, actually," I said, sitting on one of the large couches.

Remus coughed uncomfortably and drank more of his tea.

"If there're anyone givin' yeh a hard time, jus' let me know an' i'll scare 'em off fer yeh," Hagrid said determinedly as he handed me my large mug of tea.

Remus, once again, coughed uncomfortably and shifted in his seat.

"Thanks, Hagrid, but I'm all right," I assured him.

I sighed at the warmth of the tea as I drank. Remus and Hagrid chatted a bit and I added in a few comments once in a while. We talked until the sun was gone and the moon was up in the sky. That was also the only time Hagrid realized that we need to get in the castle for dinner. He wasn't eating dinner with us either since he needed to check in on something with one of the teachers. Neither Remus or I wanted to actually leave the hut so Hagrid made us promise that we would leave before seven for supper and to lock the door before leaving.

"I'm sorry for James, Hunter," Remus said as soon as Hagrid left.

"It's fine," I said. "It's not a big deal. I'm used to him now."

"But-"

"It's not a big deal, Remus," I assured him. "It's okay."

He sighed and sipped from his mug. Silence took over and I suddenly had the urge to keep the conversation going.

"So, have you heard of the rumors about a werewolf living in the Forbidden Forest?" I asked casually.

I could have sworn he nearly spat out the tea in his mouth but I never knew for sure. His eyes widened but they returned to their normal size a second after.

"No, actually," he said. "Tell me about it."

"Well, Flo told me that she heard these two Ravenclaws talking," I started. "One of the girls apparently heard a faint howl coming from the forest in the middle of the night two weeks ago. It wouldn't stop either. The other girl thinks it's coming from the Shrieking Shack which everyone thinks is haunted by ghosts. I don't think the howls came form the ghosts though. What if there really is a werewolf in the forest? They're not the only ones saying that either. I've heard other people saying that they heard things in the middle of the night two weeks ago. I even remember someone saying that they could hear something barking. It could have been Fang though. But in the middle of the night? I highly doubt that. What do you think?"

"Well, first of all, anything can be in that forest," Remus said. "so who knows? Maybe there is a werewolf there. But remember, a werewolf only turns into a fully grown monster once a month so where would he be when he's human?"

"Anything can be in that forest, like you said. Even food. And maybe he's built himself some shelter."

"That's possible, I guess."

"I really want to know though," I said.

"Know what?"

"If there's a werewolf in that forest. Imagine finding a person living in the Forbidden Forest because of this particular problem. I don't know about you but I'd find that very interesting. Would you like to go see?"

Remus frowned. "What?"

Grinning, I stood up and grabbed his arm. "Let's go see the forest!"

"Are you psychotic?" he hissed. "We cant bloody go in there!"

"We wont go deep, I promise," I said, dragging him outside.

I locked the door from the inside before closing it behind Remus and I. Hagrid's hut was very near the forest so we just had to take a few steps until we were right at the edge.

"We cant do this," Remus whispered. "This is dangerous. Who knows what might be in there?"

"Exactly why this is an adventure," I whispered back. "Let's see what awaits us."

I pulled out my wand and muttered, "_Lumos_."

The tip of my wand lit brightly and I nudged Remus, wanting him to do the same. He sighed and pulled his own wand out of his pocket. He muttered the same spell and his wand lit up like mine. I walked in the forest first and I could see Remus following me at the corner of my eye.

"I'm only coming because I don't want you to go in here alone," Remus said.

"Come on, Remus. This is exciting," I said.

I walked faster into the forest, looking around for clues that a werewolf was indeed here. There was a narrow pathway and I followed it, not wanting to get lost. I thought Remus would get scared easily but I barely even heard him gasp or squeak if something like a bird just popped out of nowhere. In fact, it was me who would squeak a bit.

As we walked deeper inside, I noticed the change. The humidity had increased and the trees were much taller and closer together. It was also very cold and I foggy, I could barely see the pathway. Remus suggested for us to go back but I was determined to find at least one piece of evidence that a werewolf had indeed run around this forest. I checked my watch and noticed that it was way past seven. If Hagrid entered the Great Hall now, he'd notice that Remus and I weren't there yet.

I was too into my thoughts to see the fallen branch on the pathway causing me to trip. Remus had grabbed my arm before I fell to the ground. He pulled me back up on my feet and I breathed heavily before really looking at the branch on the ground.

It was a pretty thick branch and it couldn't have possibly just fallen on its own. There were also claw marks on it. It looked like someone detached it forcefully from a tree. Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked up at the tree nearest to me. I could see where the branch was supposed to be. It wasn't too far from the ground and someone tall would have been able to grab it. I studied the familiar claw marks on the tree trunk. I turned to look at the fallen branch again and back at the claw marks on the tree.

"No ordinary person would be able to break a branch this thick," I muttered. "What do you think? Remus?"

When there was no answer, I turned around slowly, my heart beating faster.

"Remus?" I called out quietly, my voice shaking.

He wasn't there. I couldn't see him anywhere. I could feel tears threatening to fall from my eyes and I looked wildly around for the sandy-haired boy. I raised my wand up high, trying to light up the whole place.

"Remus, this isn't funny," I said, my voice cracking.

I felt the ground shake a bit and I knew that someone had joined me in this part of the forest. It's Remus. It had to be him. But why isn't he saying anything? I could feel it already. Someone or something was behind me. Wide-eyed and scared as fuck, I slowly turned around, hoping to Merlin that it was Remus. I instantly knew that it wasn't when I saw the dangerously sharp beak, feathery skin and red-orange slits.

I let out an ear-piercing scream and the hippogriff screeched. It stood on its hind legs but before its wicked sharp talons could slash my skin, I stumbled backwards. It screeched again when it missed to injure me. I fell backwards and it raised its sharp talons to try to injure me once again. I immediately rolled to the left and its talons hit the ground instead.

Someone grabbed my arm and immediately pulled me up to my feet. I turned to see Remus but before I could say a word, he started to run, dragging me along with him. The hippogriff was running after us and it was pretty damn fast. We ducked under branches and jumped over thick roots. I knew we were getting nearer to Hagrid's hut because the trees were much further apart and shorter than the ones I had seen before. We still ran even though I was pretty sure the the hippogriff had stopped running after us as we got nearer to the castle grounds.

When we finally reached Hagrid's hut, we both collapsed on the ground. I was surprised that I managed to hold onto my wand as I ran.

"_Nox_," I managed to gasp out tiredly.

The light of my wand disappeared and everything was dark. Remus did the same thing to his wand and we both just sat there, nothing to do or say. We rested for about five minutes then Remus stood up.

"Where did you go?" I blurted out.

"I was looking at a tree," he answered lamely.

"You were looking at a tree?"

"There was something on it. I just found it fascinating," he mumbled. He obviously did not find it fascinating with the way he's saying it right now. It's as if the tree he was looking at told him he was dying tomorrow.

"Well, I found evidence," I said weakly. "There might be a werewolf in there after all. Didn't you see that detached brach? No ordinary human being can just do that. Did you see how thick that was?"

"Yeah, I saw," Remus said, staring into the forest with a sad look.

"I'm going to find that werewolf," I said determinedly. "There's no need to hide in the forest because of what you are. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore would be more than happy to help. Well, at least, I think he would. What do you think?"

"He'd be delighted," he answered quietly.

* * *

><p><em>This young werewolf is in a lot of trouble. Can Cassie figure out who exactly <em>is_ roaming around the Forbidden Forest at night? Remus hopes not. Not ever._

_"They've done things for me that nobody else would do." -Remus Lupin, Live To Die, Chapter Eleven, Home, Sweet Home_

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><p><strong>All the anons are labelled as guests so I cant answer you all one by one. A big gigantic thank you, though! For all of you! You cheered me up loads and I love you all for that!<strong>_  
><em>

**I hope you like this chapter. I struggled a bit but I think it came out as a pretty decent chapter. Tell me what you think! :)**

**Till next time, lovelies! Xx**


	26. Stalking In Hogsmeade

**Stalking In Hogsmeade**

_Rule #21: Always teach the basics to the newbies or you'll end up getting caught._**  
><strong>

* * *

><p>I pushed through the crowd. Meaning, I literally pushed anyone in my way back down on their seats in the Quidditch pitch stands. I couldn't see much since the rain was already getting to my eyes and everyone around me was as blurry as Florence's eyesight. I could hear some of the students curse me from behind but I didn't look back. I was too focused on getting back down.<p>

When finally, I reached the creaky wooden staircase, I gripped my coat tighter around me and ran down. I had even bumped a few people down but again, I didn't really care. I ran past even more people since the match was finally over and they were all leaving. I ran towards the Quidditch pitch where the Ravenclaws were celebrating and the Slytherins were gathering around their seeker who was once again, laying down on a stretched, clutching his broken arm and pinching his bleeding nose.

Before any of them noticed me coming though, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back inside the castle. The roof had blocked the rain from falling inside and I was able to wipe my eyes for the first time since the rain had irritated it. After about a minute of rubbing, I finally opened them and gazed at the person who had stopped me from approaching the Regulus.

"Don't go," Alex Greengrass told me shakily as he shivered under his thin Slytherin sweater.

"What?" I frowned at him.

"Don't go to him," Alex shook his head slowly. "Ya cant."

"What do you mean I cant?" I snapped irritatedly. "He's my friend."

"Please listen to me, Cassie," he pleaded. "Ya cant go. You'll just get yeself hurt."

I blinked.

"Think 'bout it, lass," he continued softly. "Just leave. He's not worth it."

"I dont understand."

"Trust me, it's better like that," he said before turning around to walk away.

"Wait," I said quickly, grabbing his shoulder. "I want you to stop hanging around the sixth years."

Alex slowly turned around, his eyes narrowing. "And who d'ya think you are, telling me what to do?"

"Excuse me, but that's exactly what you were doing just moments ago," I snapped, getting irritated.

"That's different. If ya go there, there's no way back to an ordinary life 'cause the Slytherins are goin' ta see ya," he shot back. "Your friendship with Regulus is a big fat no."

"I wouldn't have an ordinary life to go back to anyway," I hissed.

"You've no idea what he's doing, all right? Ya cant trust 'im."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked shakily.

"Because I don't want them to hurt ya."

"The last time I saw you, you told me you didn't know me."

"I was going through a difficult time," he mumbled. "I'm try'na get out. Em doing everything that I can."

"I can help you," I said, softening. "I can help you, Alex. I know what's happening. I don't care if you don't but I do. I trust Regulus with my life. I want you to do that too, okay? He's the only one you can trust in this. He'll get you out. I swear, he will."

"I didn't know what I was doin'," Alex croaked. "I was so stupid."

"We're going to get you out, okay?" I promised him.

Suddenly, his head snapped to the left and his eyes widened. He started to curse repeatedly under his breath. I turned to see where he was looking at and saw Evan Rosier's gang approaching. Hopefully, all the people around us who were trying to get back in the castle were blocking us from their view. Alex, without saying anything else, ducked down and disappeared in the moving crowd. I decided to start walking and let my feet take me to wherever it is where the Slytherins wont be able to see me. I really did not want to handle them right now.

* * *

><p>The common room was empty. Obviously because it was way past twelve in the morning. It was also a tuesday and everyone walked up early for school tomorrow. Why am I staying up so late then? I honestly have no idea. Well, probably because I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I tried. I was afraid, yes. Afraid of the nightmares that awaited me. They've been getting worse. It's horrifying.<p>

I would see him all the time. I would see him looking at me with the dark olive green eyes that I unfortunately inherited from him. He looked like how he did in the newspapers everyday. He had cut his jet-black hair that seemed to always look like it was wet. There were various scars and bruises on his face. Oh, I hoped it hurt him a lot.

When I had enough of just simply sitting on the common room couch and staring at the crackling fire, I stood up and stretched with a loud yawn. I sleepily rubbed my eyes but instead of heading upstairs to the dormitory, I left the common room and decided to go around the dark and quiet castle. I passed different hallways and went up staircases, praying to Merlin that I don't run into anyone I loathed, specifically the Slytherins.

I was currently walking in the Transfiguration corridor when I heard someone approaching from the opposite end. Before I could hide in one of the classrooms around me, I had already been spotted.

"Hey!" the person called.

I squeaked in fear, too scared to even move. I could hear the footsteps coming closer but it was to dark for me to see the person's face. Only hen he was right in front of me, I realized who he was.

"Remus?" I gasped.

"Oh, it's just you," Remus said, keeping his wand back inside his robes. "What in the world are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm a prefect, Cassie," he sighed. "I'm just finishing my last round. Let's get back to the common room together. You're lucky I'm not giving you detention or minus points."

"I just needed to get around," I admitted shyly. "I couldn't sleep."

"Let me guess," Remus said softly as we walked. "Nightmares?"

I blinked, surprised. "How did you-"

"Everyone gets nightmares, Cassie. It's normal. Trust me, I've had a few of my own."

I shrugged. "It's never good, I guess. I just want to avoid it. Sleeping tonight means that I have to face these stupid dreams."

"You need to sleep though. We've got classes tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to sleep later. It's not like I can stay up all night."

He shrugged. "You could. Anyway, if I may ask, did anything go on with you and James before?"

I almost stopped walking after he asked that, startled at the sudden change of topic.

"No, of course not," I said quickly. "We never dated or anything."

"Well, I know you two never dated," Remus said with a snort. "If you did, I would obviously know since James is sort of my best friend. I meant did you two ever have some sort of moment? I know you fancied him before. It's not your fault. Most of the girls here do."

I thanked everything good that the castle was dark and I could barely see Remus beside me and he could barely see me because I was pretty sure my face was as red as a tomato.

"I didn't fancy him," I muttered.

"That's an absolute lie."

"I didn't!" I said irritatedly.

I pretty sure he just rolled his eyes at me.

"Sirius told me, Cassie," he said calmly. "Anyway, it was obvious. I'm surprised James didn't see it because the fact that you fancied him was practically dancing naked in front of him."

"What- No! Of course not!"

"It was obvious. Believe me, it was. Even Peter saw it and he's probably the most clueless boy ever when it comes to girls fancying someone despite the fact that he had the longest lasting girlfriend in our group."

"Fine, I fancied him a bit but I don't anymore," I growled. "I never will too. Anyway, he fancies Lily. He always has."

"Well, yes, that's true," Remus nodded. "I honestly think the two are perfect for each other. I reckon Lily can keep James grounded and he can teach her how to live once in a while."

"He never fancied me back," I said. "He loathed me actually. Now, I loath him right back. I honestly cannot believe that I ever fancied his pants. Was there something wrong with me before?"

Remus chuckled. "Ah, well, if you think about it that way then most of the girls here in Hogwarts have something wrong with them. What about you and Sirius, though? Ever fancied him?"

I snorted. "Nope. Never have. I find him attractive but I don't fancy him."

"I'm impressed," Remus said, sounding amused.

I shrugged. "He's funny and good-looking and all but I don't see him as my type."

"He's sort of all the girls' type here in Hogwarts."

"Maybe that's why I don't fancy him," I added thoughtfully. "Because so much girls already fancy his pants and I'm not much of a follow the crowd kind of person."

"James told me about this boy from home. His name's Spencer, isn't it?"

I stiffened. "Yes. That's him."

"You fancied him, didn't you?"

I sighed. "I did. I think he was the first boy that I actually really fancied, to be honest. I knew I only fancied James because I thought he looked-good. He does but I only just realized after fourth year how much of an arse he is. Spencer was…. well, I actually didn't realize that I really fancied him until after he had left. It's sad really. I guess I've gotten over him a bit. I know he's never going to remember me again. I just need to let him go now. I didn't want to before but I kind of have to now."

"You don't fancy him anymore?" Remus asked curiously.

Honestly, I didn't know. But I wasn't going to give Remus a useless answer like that so I settled with…

"No," I said firmly. "No, I don't."

We had finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and she was peacefully sleeping in hr frame. I was about to open my mouth and wake her up but Remus spoke from beside me in a low whisper.

"Well, now that I know you're not exactly romantically involved with anyone at the moment, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?"

I swiftly turned to face him, eyes wide. He shot me an adorable lopsided grin and I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Yeah, sure."

* * *

><p>"You are going to Hogsmeade with Remus Lupin today, you slutty wanker, so get your bloody arse out of bed and dress the fuck up!"<p>

Groaning, I opened my eyes only to see a very irritated redhead who happened to be my psychotic best friend who stalked for a living.

"Did you just call me a slutty wanker?" I asked groggily.

"Yes, I just called you a slutty wanker, now get up," she snapped at me before getting off my bed and walking to my dresser.

Yawning, I sat up and watched her throw out a bunch of my clothes.

"You're useless," Florence groaned after throwing out the last piece of clothing from my dresser. "Do you have any nice clothes at all?"

"Hey, I do to have nice clothes," I said irritatedly. "You just threw all my clothes out from my dresser, assuming that all I owned in there was rubbish."

Florence rolled her eyes and raised her hands up in surrender. "Fine, if you don't want my help then you can go dress yourself up. Don't blame me if Remus comes back from Hogsmeade sobbing because his date showed up with body odor and a pair of smelly sweatpants."

"Oh, stop being so dramatic," I said with a snort.

"Cassie, do you know how many girls would give an _ear_ to get a date to Hogsmeade with Remus freaking Lupin?" she said exasperatedly. "Do you not get how much of a big deal this is for you and me?"

"First of all, this is not a date," I told her. "He just asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him. I don't see how that automatically means that he asked me out on a date. Second, how the hell is this a big deal for you?"

"_Not a date_?" she screeched. "Not a _bloody_ date? Of course, it's a date, Cassidy Marisa Hunter! When you go on a date, the boy asks the girl to go out with him to a place where the two can talk and get closer. Remus asked you out to Hogsmeade. He obviously has some sort of thing for you! And this is a _very_ big deal for me because this gives me another opportunity to get more information from them!"

"Why the fuck would he have a thing for me?" I snapped. "He doesn't have a bloody thing for me, what the hell are you talking about?"

Florence sighed frustratedly and lifted her right hand to cover her face as she slowly shook her head "Oh, dear Lord, Mother of Merlin. What the hell am I going to do with you, Cassie Hunter?"

Extremely annoyed, I jumped out of bed and grabbed me clothes from the floor, throwing them back inside my dresser one by one. I looked for some nice winter clothes since it was already the start of December. I found a pair of dark jeans, a blue long-sleeved shirt and my white cardigan. After taking a quick shower, I put all of these on, together with a pair of my cream-colored winter boots and blood red overcoat. I finally faced Florence again after changing into my clothes.

"I'm sorry for throwing your clothes out," she apologized quietly.

"It's okay," I chuckled. "I'm sorry for leaving you today. I mean, you can come with us if you like."

She immediately shook her head furiously at my offer. "No, it's okay. Go have fun. I was planning to stay in the castle anyway."

"Are you sure?" I said, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Yes, I am," Florence smiled. "Go on, Cassie. I really hope you do all right. I've never actually been on a date so I wouldn't know what to tell you so just go on it it."

Then she stepped forward and put one of her white winter hats on my head. I pulled her in a hug before leaving. After one last goodbye and a good luck from her, I walked down the girls' staircase and in the warm common room. There were quite a lot of people there so I had to say a bunch of excuse me's to pass. I finally reached the portrait and left the Gryffindor Tower. I walked down numerous staircases until I finally reached the Entrance Hall. By the giant doors were a big number of couples meeting and friends chatting. I tried to look around for Remus but it seemed like he found me before I found him.

He tapped my shoulder and I spun around to see him. He looked fit as always, his sandy hair neat as it fell right above his beautiful eyes. He wore a pair of fitted jeans, a black coat and a white scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Hey!" I greeted him cheerfully.

"'Lo," he smiled. "You ready to go?"

I nodded happily and we set off towards Hogsmeade. We walked in a comfortable silence on our way there until we finally reached the village and Remus asked me where I wanted to go first.

"Why don't we get a drink from The Three Broomsticks first?" I suggested, wanting to get inside a place warm.

"Yeah, sounds great," Remus said with a shrug.

We set off to the Three Broomsticks in a fast pace. We actually wouldn't be able to talk even if we wanted to. It was snowing and windy. I buried half my face in my coat, cursing myself for not bringing a scarf with me. Remus seemed to have sensed my cursing because he took his off and wrapped it around my neck. I sighed at the warmth but then I remembered that this was Remus' not mine. I grabbed the scarf but Remus held my wrist to keep me from taking it off. He shook his head, smiling and started to walk, faster this time.

He was still holding my wrist, probably making sure that I didn't fall or slip on anything. When we finally reached the shop, we walked in as quickly as possible and I felt Remus' grip on my wrist loosen. His face, that was a ghostly white outside, had slowly turned to its natural color, the longer we stayed in the warm shop. We got a table (which was lucky because a big number of students were in the shop) and Remus left for some Butterbeer. He came back with the delicious drink and I immediately drank from my mug.

"So, how was your week?" Remus started up a conversation. "Anything interesting?"

"Nothing really," I shrugged. "Nothing interesting has happened for the past weeks actually. Well, except our journey into the forest at night. Thanks for that, by the way. You saved my life in there."

"It was nothing," he blushed. What a cutie. "I'm sorry for leaving you. That was really stupid of me."

"That Hippogriff chase was fun actually," I laughed. "There's nothing you should be sorry about. You were looking at a rather interesting tree, weren't you?" I raised my eyebrows up at him.

He nervously chuckled. "Er… Yeah. I was."

"Anything interesting for you then?" I asked. "You hang out with James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. There's bound to be something interesting going on in your life everyday."

"Does watching them hex Slytherins in the hallway count?" he smiled.

"Ah, well, I guess it might be a bit fun to watch," I murmured, amused

"I would never admit this to them but yes, I do think they deserve it sometimes," Remus admitted with a shrug. "I don't think they should do it more often than usual though since this is exactly what I'm supposed to be preventing from happening in this school."

"Do you ever get angry with them? I asked curiously.

He chuckled. "I don't have the heart to get mad at them, no matter how stupid the situation is. Thing is, they've done things for me that nobody else would do. Some may think they're gits because… Well, they _are_ gits but the _point_ is, they're the best friends I could ever ask for. Once you get close to them, you'll warm up to them. They're extremely loyal, they are. True Gryffindors too."

Remus managed to make me smile at his outburst about his friends. I heard the door of the shop opening and my head snapped towards that direction. I caught a glimpse of dark red hair but it was gone the second after. I frowned and started looking at everyone's hair to find the same shade. Did I just see Florence walk in the Three Broomsticks? Maybe it wasn't her… Maybe it was just another redhead. Lily Evans maybe? I shook my head at the thought and returned my attention to Remus.

We chatted a bit again before finally leaving the shop. But unfortunately, I was distracted the whole time we roamed Hogsmeade. I could somehow feel that someone was following us from behind…

* * *

><p><strong>FLORENCE<strong>

"Do you think she saw me?" I asked quickly, feeling the panic build up inside me.

"She couldn't have," Lily Evans told me, patting my shoulder as we hid behind the particularly large plant beside the door of the Three Broomsticks. "You were so quick."

"I cant believe that for the first time in years, someone actually spotted me while I was following them," I moaned quietly, burying my face in my hands.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Florence. Anyway, she doesn't seem distracted right now in any way. She's just talking to Remus. Ugh, I cant believe she's on a bloody date with him. Of all the people, it had to be him! She can have Potter, for Christ's sake!"

"I cant believe you fancy Remus Lupin," I murmured.

"Are you kidding me?" Lily hissed. "He's fancied by a fourth of the girls in Hogwarts! It shouldn't be a surprise that even I find him absolutely adorable."

"I thought you would go for James."

"I wouldn't go anywhere near Potter," she snapped.

I chuckled. No way was she getting together with Remus anytime soon. She and James are perfect for each other, no doubt about that. She just doesn't know it yet. Or she's denying her feelings for the messy-haired boy. Probably both.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes. "I'm just here because you practically begged me to help you follow them but you're not going to ruin their date!"

"I'm not James Potter, Florence. I'm not planning to," Lily said with a grimace. "I just want to know where this is going. I already know that I have absolutely no chance with him. I'm just wondering, though, since when he was romantically involved with Cassie Hunter. The girl's barely seen around Hogwarts and plus the fact that she and James aren't exactly the best of friends. They also keep arguing which is pretty irritating. I mean, I argue with him all the time and now she comes in and argues with him too."

I resisted the urge to smile. She so fancies James Potter's pants. Why else would she be irritated at Cassie for interfering with her system with James? She probably thinks she should be the only person he argues with.

I peeked from behind the large plant and saw that the table Cassie and Remus were occupying just a few moments ago were now occupied by a pair of stupid snogging Hufflepuffs. Frustrated, I stepped out of my hiding spot and pulled Lily out with me. A few students around our area turned to look at us weirdly but I ignored them. I stomped my way towards the table and slammed my hands on the table, making the two Hufflepuffs jump away from each other.

"What the hell is this?" I screeched angrily.

"Jason?" the brunette whispered dangerously to her boyfriend. "Is she another girl?"

The boy, Jason's brown eyes widened. "What? No, of course not, I don't even know her!"

"Ugh, I cant believe you would do this to me!" the girl stood up with her bag and slapped Jason across the face. She humphed and left without another word.

"Agh! Wait, Trina, I didn't even- _Trina_!"

Jason stood up from his chair and ran after her. Furiously, I sat down on one of the chairs.

"Well, that was no fucking help," I grumbled, absolutely annoyed. "He could have at least asked me what I wanted first before running after his snogging buddy."

"You just broke them up, Florence," Lily pointed out.

"Ah, so what? They're Hufflepuffs."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Just because they're Hufflepuffs, doesn't mean they don't have a social life of their own."

"Whatever, let's go find those two lovebirds before they head up to the castle and Cassie finds out where I am."

So we left the Three Broomsticks with absolutely no idea where Remus and Cassie went. It's weird that I'm taking this mission a bit too seriously even if I was helping James get Lily. I take every stalking mission easily anyway. That boy, Jason, could have seen which direction they went off to but _no_. He just had to run after his bimbo and make me lose one valuable person with possible valuable information.

"Let's check the Shrieking Shack," Lily suggested.

"Who in the right mind would go there during a Hogsmeade trip?" I gaped at her.

"It's interesting to see up-close the first time," Lily shrugged.

"See what? The ghosts popping out of the windows and the blood coming out of your mouth because you just puked your heart out in fright?"

Lily gave me a weird look. "Er… Well, that sounds rather lovely. Now, will we check the Shrieking Shack or no?"

"How about no?"

"Hey, Florence!"

"_Duck_!" I said quickly to Lily.

We both fell down on our knees on the cold snow and bowed our heads down, both hands behind our heads. A few students passing by gave us weird looks. Oh, shit. I almost forgot we weren't hiding behind anything at the moment.

"Why the hell are we doing this?" Lily hissed. "We're kneeling down in the middle of the road of Hogsmeade looking like idiots!"

"I thought we were hiding behind something," I hissed back.

Lily stood up irritatedly and grabbed my arm, pulling me up to my feet.

"Florence! Yeah, that is you!"

Then, I once again fell down on my knees and bowed my head with my hands.

"Oh, dear Merlin, get up," Lily snapped, grabbing my arm again and lifting me up to my feet.

We both turned around and saw Cassie waving cheerfully at me. Cursing under my breath, I started to run towards the opposite direction, dragging Lily with me. I turned my head to see if they were following us and indeed, they were. Cassie followed us quickly with a frown on her face and Remus kept up with her pace. I started to run quicker and I saw an empty alleyway which was pretty dark. I stepped in there and prayed to Merlin that they hadn't seen us go here.

"Why the hell are you running away from me?" Cassie snapped, appearing out of no where with Remus by her side.

Curse you, Merlin.

"Lily?" Remus said, surprised. "Why are you two together?"

"We were snogging," Lily blurted out.

"What the fuck?" I turned to her and at the same time Remus said…

"Oh, dear Lord," he stared at us both with wide eyes.

"They were _not_ snogging," Cassie snapped irritatedly.

"They weren't?" Remus blinked then he shook his head. "Right... thank Dumbledore…" he murmured.

"What are you two hiding from me?" Cassie narrowed her eyes at me.

"We were just hanging around Hogsmeade," I said casually, hoping to everything good in this world that Lily would just shut her mouth and not say anything stupid and inappropriate.

"Why are you sweating so much?" Remus furrowed his eyebrows, staring at Lily.

"I-I'm not seating," Lily said with a nervous chuckle as she wiped her wet face with the back of her hand.

Was she seriously sweating? It's fucking under zero degrees Celsius out here and she's sweating like she's just ran a mother freaking marathon.

"You guys can return to your date. She's fine with me," I said, grinning fakery.

"If you're sure," Cassie said staring at Lily with a concerned expression.

"I'm sure," I said.

When the two left, I immediately turned to Lily.

"What the bloody hell was that?" I snapped.

"I got nervous!" she whispered angrily.

"Dear Merlin, you're worse than Cassie when we're going on mission," I murmured irritatedly.

"They could have seen what we were actually doing!" Lily stomped her foot. "It's completely normal to become nervous about that!"

"Next time, you should keep your cool or I will never help you stalk anyone ever again," I narrowed my eyes at her.

Lily rolled her eyes and stomped out of the alleyway. Grumbling under my breath, I followed her towards the castle and we walked in silence. When we reached the warm indoors, I expected Lily to turn to a hallway and leave me standing alone like usual 'popular girls' do. Strangely, she turned to me and asked me what I wanted to do next. Apparently, she was planning on spending the day with me since both her friends had gone to Hogsmeade without her. One day with Lily Evans? This should be interesting. I had been with her all morning anyway.

We started to talk a bit about ourselves and our lives. I told her about my family a bit. Not how I told Cassie my story. Of course, I only told her some personal information. She wasn't actually a bad person to talk to. It's like I knew her all my life by the way we were talking.

Suddenly, we turned to another hallway, only to see that someone was already hanging there. I immediately flattened myself on the wall and nudged Lily, mentally shouting at her to do the same. Fortunately, she got the message and flattened her back on the wall beside me. Even from behind, I knew exactly who it was walking in this hallway.

I pulled out my fake Invisibility Cloak from my shoulder bag and put it over Lily and me. She widened her eyes at me, obviously surprised that I owned such a thing.

"It's not the real one," I whispered as quietly as possible. "My sister likes to charm this old blanket and I use it to follow people."

"Who's there?" James Potter suddenly snapped, turning around and whipping his wand out.

I gasped quietly and I heard nothing except for an unexpected pair of footsteps coming from the side of the hallway that Lily and I just entered from. There was no one there though. James narrowed his eyes at the empty end. He obviously heard the steps.

After about a minute or two, James started to walk to the opposite direction once again. Lily and I watched his back go further away from and I was trying to decide whether to follow him or not. I might find something out but Lily was currently with me. Would it be all right to share with her the secrets of the Marauders that I've been working so hard to find?

But in fact, I was happy that I didn't follow James because I heard the steps again. Suddenly, I heard whispering. As if, someone was talking to themselves. I only heard one pair of feet moving. This man must have been talking to himself. I shut my eyes, trying to listen closely to the voice. I knew this voice. I've heard this voice before. The muttering got louder and louder and it was already echoing in my head. When I finally figured it all out, Severus Snape had already made his appearance.

"_Furnun_-"

"_Expelliarmus_!" I screeched, throwing the cloak off me and pointing my wand at Severus Snape. The spell had caused Snape's wand to fall out of his hand and it lay right beside my feet. The noise had called James' attention and he swiftly turned around, wand in hand.

"Snivellus!" he cried out in anger.

Snape suddenly had a panicked look on his face and tried to dive for his wand. While he was on air, I managed to gasp out, "_Immobulus_!" and the Slytherin froze in mid-air, his arm stretched out for his wand. Breathing heavily, I picked up Snape's wand form the ground and examined it. I heard footsteps behind me and soon, James Potter stood beside me, scowling.

"You bloody coward," he hissed. "Cursing someone from behind their back? How about you be a man and face me yourself?"

The spell didn't last too long because soon enough, Snape fell on the floor with a loud thud and he seemed to be too tired to move again.

"You have no idea how pathetic you are, Snape," James spat. "Going around and calling people, who are ten times more human than you'll ever be, _mudbloods_. Hanging around with a group of Slytherin cunts and torturing people for the fun of it."

"You think you're so good, eh, Potter?" Snape snapped back, looking up at him from the floor. "What about you, then? You've been off hexing first years in the corridors when you're bored and I'm the bad one?"

James knelt down and grabbed Snape's greasy hair. He pulled it back, making Snape's face face his own.

"Yours is different. Do you want to know why?" he hissed. "Because I did all that purely because of immaturity and I was a spoiled brat from a rich family who thought that I could get away with anything. You do this because you think it's entertaining to see people getting tortured. You think it's fun to go around and call people mudbloods because of that stupid belief that Muggle-borns are less magical than you stuck-up purebloods. You and your little group of shits plan to kill off all the Muggle-borns in our world. Well, news flash, Snape. You're a half-blood. Your last name says it all. You aren't a pureblood so stop thinking so highly of yourself and shut the fuck up about Muggle-borns."

James stood up angrily, letting go of Snape's hair. He looked disgustingly as his hand for a while before wiping it on his robe and stalking off without another word. I turned to Snape who was still laying on the floor. I showed him his wand and threw it down a nearby staircase so it rolled down and down and down. He sent me a dirty look before running down after it.

I turned to where Lily was still supposed to be standing. Suddenly, she appeared out of no where as she stripped off my Invisibility Cloak and handed it to me. She turned to the direction where James had gone to and left me without a single word to me. Slightly irritated, I stuffed my cloak back in my bag and walked back to where Lily and I had been walking on before we found James Potter in an empty hallway.

* * *

><p><em>James fancies Lily, Lily fancies Remus, Remus is somehow attracted to Cassie and Cassie is still confused with her feelings towards Spencer. Where are Sirius and Peter? Well, they've got their own set of problems and girls. Or maybe they were with James during the Snape incident...<em>

_"Looks like Evans is here to save you today, Snivellus. I didn't think you'd want to accept help from a filthy Mudblood like her." -Sirius Black, Live To Die, Chapter Eleven, Home, Sweet Home._

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><p><em> <strong>REPLIES TO ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS:<strong>_

**Guest: I know a lot of stories have that but I tried to make mine a bit different with the whole travel at night in the forest thing. I'm sorry if it was a bit cliche but it was needed for my story. :/**

**AnonAG: Thanks so much for that! For Pottermore, yes, I have an account and I'm in Gryffindor! :)**

**SiriusLove: He better tell them or Florence would find out by herself. ;)**

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><p><strong><em>I'm so sorry for the long update! It's been so busy back here and I hope you all understand! It's a pretty long chapter though and I really hope you like it!<em>**

**_In my profile, you'll see all the links for the characters in Live To Die. It might not be complete so if one of the characters you know isn't there, just PM me! It's their pictures and I hope you check them out! Tell me what you think about them too. :)_**

_**Love you all so much! Drop me a review? :)**_


	27. Trip To Despair

**Trip To Despair**

_Rule 22: Walk quickly or you'll lose them._

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><p><strong>SIRIUS<strong>

"Just tell me what happened, Prongs," I snapped once again to my moody best mate during our last Quidditch practice before the break.

Our poor teammates have been running lap after lap because apparently, they're not doing good enough according to our oh, so amazing captain, James Potter. Honestly, I just think he's angry at something and he's taking out all his anger on us.

After the fourteenth lap around the pitch, I was ready to strangle his shit.

"I told you. Nothing happened," James shot back to me as our other team members finished their round. He turned to everyone else. "You call that running? Three more rounds!"

"No!" Felicity cried angrily. "We've been running around for ages!"

"She's right, mate," Frank grunted as he panted heavily, trying to keep himself from falling over by holding his thighs as he crouched down.

"I said,_ three more mother fucking rounds_," James growled at the two.

Felicity squeaked and dragged her feet back to running. Her hair that was up in a neat bun when she arrived for practice was now practically falling from the top of her head. The sweaty strands of her brown hair framed her red face and her eyes seemed so distant. I honestly thought she was going to pass out any time now. A little bit irritated at how James was treating the team, I turned to him.

"She looks like she's about to vomit, Prongs," I snapped. "Make her stop!"

"Don't tell me what to do," James shot back. "I'm doing this for the team."

"No, you're not!" I said, getting more annoyed. "This is not helping anyone! This is our last practice before the break and you're breaking all our legs! Bloody hell, mate, what the hell is wrong? Please, talk to me."

He stayed silent after that. He stuffed both his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants and stared at my tired, red-faced teammates as they ran around the pitch to finish their three rounds. As they approached us, finishing their second round, James held up a hand to stop them from running and I couldn't have seen a more grateful look on any other person's face after seeing the faces of the five who stood panting before me.

"That's quite enough," James said a bit awkwardly. "I apologize for making you all run more laps than I usually tell you to do."

"It's all right, James!" Damian said cheerfully, grinning at his captain. "We know you're doing it for the team."

Jenn rolled her eyes at the third Chaser.

Practice went on and James didn't even bother to talk to me during the whole practice. We hadn't crossed each other's paths either since I was a Beater and he was a Chaser. I worked on some Beater drills with Jenn and he tried teaching McKinnon and Damian a new skill he had been thinking about since the summer. By the time it was the end of practice, James volunteered to fix everything and told everyone to take a shower for supper in the Great Hall.

He knew I wouldn't even think of helping him fix everything because food was just the best thing in life and I would always be the first one out of the shower after practice and I'd sprint to the Great Hall.

Tonight was different.

"Oi, Sirius!" Frank called from the locker room. "I think I can smell the roast beef from here!"

Well, then, a boy's got to eat his food, right?

"I'm coming!" I shouted back, sprinting to the locker room, broom in hand.

* * *

><p>I was in the middle of finishing my mashed potatoes when James finally arrived in the Great Hall. He grumpily sat down beside me, throwing his broom on the table, making a few plates flip.<p>

"I cant wait to get home and get out of this bloody place," he grumbled as he reached out to the plates that still had food on them and angrily threw them on his plate. He scooped a spoonful of the delicious mashed potatoes and quickly put it in his mouth, chewing it irritatedly.

"Prongs, will you please just tell us what's wrong?" Remus asked lightly as he watched James eat his food violently.

At that moment, Snape entered the Great Hall and James glare intensified. The goblet he was holding exploded, sending shards of glass everywhere. Everyone around us ducked under the table but some weren't so lucky and received a slash on the cheek or the arm.

Then, James stood up and briskly walked out of the Great Hall.

"Mate!" Peter called after him and stood up as well. Remus and I followed his actions and the three of us ran after James.

When we reached the Entrance Hall, James was nowhere in sight. In frustration, I pushed a first year passing by to the ground and angrily walked away. I saw Remus and Peter help him up from the corner of my eye. I heard Peter call my name but I ignored him, determined to find out where James went off to. I checked the common room first and our dormitory but as expected, he wasn't there. James never went there when he needed some time alone. I actually never found out where he went when we was angry.

Groaning, I sank into the common room couch, staring absentmindedly at the crackling fire. Most of the students were still out for dinner or just walking around with friends. We were going back home this weekend. Well, I was going back to James' house in Maryfields but that was home to me, I reckon. Remus was probably staying at his house and Peter, same. They would probably come for the New Year's Eve Ball though so it was nice to know that I'd still see them at least once during the break.

"Found him?" Remus' voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He slumped down on the couch beside me and sighed heavily.

"Nah," I replied quietly. "Where's Peter?"

"Still out looking for him."

"It's no use," I shook my head. "None of us know where he's off when he's angry."

"The last time this happened was fourth year, wasn't it?" Remus asked, his eyebrows raising and his brown eyes lighting up a bit.

"Yeah, why?" I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"We didn't have the Marauder's Map then, did we?"

My own eyes widened and I immediately stood up. Cursing at my stupidity, I ran up the dormitory and dug through my trunk, trying to find that piece of parchment. Finally, when all my clothes and school materials were on the floor of our dormitory, I managed to find the map inside the sea of rubbish that I call my trunk. Excited, I ran down the steps, back to the common room, only to see Peter finally present.

"I got it!" I said, grinning.

Peter and Remus stood up and stood up either side of me. I pulled my wand out and looked around me to see if any of the Gryffindors were listening in. When I was positive all the people in the room were too into their own business, I muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Slowly, ink started to fill the parchment and moving footsteps were all over. I scanned the different names all over school, looking from floor to floor. Unfortunately, we didn't find his name on the parchment anywhere.

"Where is he?" Peter wailed.

"The one room that we didn't put in this map," I said in realization. "He's…. He's in the Room of Requirement! He's known that place even before us! The only time he introduced that to us was when we needed a place to become Animagi."

"Erm… I'm not really in the mood to go back there," Remus muttered, staring at his shoes.

I rolled my eyes. "The last time we were there was ages ago. All those mistakes, they're all in the past, mate."

"Peter almost got seriously injured there," he croaked.

Peter shook his head. "I'm fine mate, really! That was one mistake. It's not going to happen again."

Sighing in defeat, Remus reluctantly agreed and we set off to the secret room of James Potter. We had gotten lost a few times because we'd forgotten where exactly that room was despite the fact that we visited it almost everyday during our fourth and fifth year. I couldn't believe that I never noticed that that room was James' private sanctuary. I noticed that he'd just disappear sometimes during second or third year when he was a particularly bad mood. There was one day where we didn't see him for a whole twenty-four hours. That was the day he found out his mum was in the hospital because she was suffering a terrible disease. It was a very hard time for him.

Finally, we found the familiar wall where the Room of Requirement's door was supposed to appear. I closed my eyes shut and started to pace in the hallway.

_I need to find James Potter. I need to find James Potter. I need to know what's wrong with him. I need to find James Potter._

I finally opened my eyes again and the door to the room was already there. Cheering silently, I pushed it open and entered, Remus and Peter following me in. There, was James. He was sitting on a couch identical to the couch in the common room in Gryffindor Tower. In fact, the whole room looked like the Gryffindor common room, minus the other Gryffindors occupying the other chairs. Remus, Peter and I slowly walked towards him. He had his back to us as he faced the crackling fire. We made no sound as we took a few steps but I strangely knew that he was aware of our presence.

"Finally found me, eh?" James said without looking back at us.

"Weird that we only found out now," I replied calmly.

He shrugged. "I didn't think you'd ever notice anyway."

"Oh we noticed. Loads of times."

He finally turned his head to stare at us.

"Why are you here?"

"We want to know what's going on with you," Remus said immediately.

Peter nodded in agreement.

"There's nothing going on," James murmured, turning back to staring at the fire.

"Fuck you, mate," I snapped. "Of course, there's something going on. I know you like to close yourself off during times like this but you really need to talk to someone and we need to know so we can bloody help you!"

He turned to look at me before sighing and patting the seat beside him. I sat on the couch and Remus and Peter dragged stools for themselves. We stared at James, waiting for him to start his story.

"Remember that Hogsmeade weekend?" he started off slowly.

"Which one?" Remus asked quietly, blushing slightly.

"The last one."

"Oh."

"Remember when we were hiding in that classroom to plan our plans for the Christmas Break and I decided to take a quick potty break?"

"Yeah," Peter said, furrowing his eyebrows. "You came back really angry after that."

"I met Snape in the way," James grumbled angrily. "Nearly cursed my back off if it wasn't for Florence."

"Florence?" I frowned. "Florence Flanagan, you mean? Hunter's friend?"

"Yeah, her. Saved my arse, she did. Anyway, he goes off telling me that I'm just as bad as him and some more shit. You know, his usual Mudblood rant. I didn't realize Evans was actually listening in. She caught up to me and she actually thanked me for once."

I raised my eyebrows. "She thanked you? Mate, that's huge! Why are you so angry about that?"

"She told me to stay away from her," James continued with a sad smile. "It's different this time because she actually said it without shouting or glaring at me. She said it like I really had to stay away from her from now on. She told me that I was causing a lot of trouble in her life and she didn't want to hurt me anymore either."

"Why would she say that?" Remus murmured.

"She said she didn't want to hurt you anymore?" Peter said sadly. "She actually cared that you got hurt overtime she turned you down?"

James shrugged with a sigh.

"She wasn't shouting?" I asked, frowning.

"No."

"Was she showing any signs of hatred towards you at all?"

"Surprisingly, no. She even looked a bit sad in my opinion. Tired, even. She spoke so calmly about it."

"Ah, this is serious then, mate," I patted his shoulder. "You all right?"

"Ah, bit down," he sighed. "S'alright though. I'm not giving up on her."

"Mate, you've been after her for six years," Remus said. "I reckon…. I reckon you have to let her go. You really have messed her life up a bit, even you have to admit that."

"I didn't go this far for nothing," James said a bit irritatedly.

"You haven't gotten further from where you were in first year," Peter said. "She still doesn't fancy you. You're still chasing after her like a lost puppy who found its mum. Nothing's changed."

"Haven't you all listened to my story?" he rolled his eyes. "If she told me to stay away from her like that, then definitely, something changed in our relationship. She has to at least miss our constant bickering. I don't care what you guys say. I'm going after her. She's the girl I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. I know, trust me."

I didn't believe him but there was no changing his mind so instead of trying to argue with him some more, I shrugged and patted his shoulder.

"Good luck with her then, mate," I said. "She's a tough one to get."

"How are you and Hunter, huh, Moony?" James immediately changed the subject, smirking at Remus.

Remus turned bright red, turning his head to the side so we wouldn't notice.

"Dunno," he said quietly.

"He still hasn't asked her," Peter shook his head in disappointment.

"I never actually planned to," Remus rolled his eyes at Peter.

"You asked her to Hogsmeade!" I stated. "You mean to tell me, you have no feelings for her at all?"

"Fine, I fancy her a bit but I don't want to ask her to be my girlfriend or anything."

"What the fuck is the use of asking her to Hogsmeade to get to know her and for her to get to know you when you two aren't even going to end up together in the end?" James said frowning at Remus.

"I'm scared, all right?"

"Of us?" I piped up. "Well, you should be. We still don't forgive you for hiding the fact that you fancy Hunter. You could have just told us to stop pranking her because it bothered you obviously."

"Hey, I don't even know if I actually do fancy her, all right?" Remus sighed. "Maybe I just find her cute. There's a huge difference."

"Why her, though?" Peter asked. "I mean, of all the girls here, you had to choose the girl we've been tormenting since she's come here."

"I didn't really mind that before," Remus shrugged. "I mean, I only started to really notice her when Florence started to help James and she was usually around because they're best friends."

"So, basically, it's just physical attraction," I raised my eyebrows at him.

He shrugged. "It could be. I just don't know yet. Just give me some time to think about it."

"Please don't get together with her," James practically pleaded Remus.

"We're going to have to see her more than usual if you do," I said, nodding.

Remus rolled his eyes at us and muttered something that vaguely sounded like, "Idiots."

* * *

><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

The train was stopping. Happiness and excitement filled me when I spotted Mr. and Mrs. Potter waving at me. I cheerily waved back and as soon as the train fully stopped and the door opened automatically, I jumped off with my trunk. I was so excited to get back to Maryfields for Christmas. I absolutely loved Hogwarts but Christmas in Maryfields was stunning even though it could be a bit boring sometimes.

Of course, James and Sirius would be in the house with me so maybe instead of boring this year, it would be torturous. I'll never know until we're all back there. Hopefully, they'd just stay out of my way during this break or I might wring their necks the second I see them trying to pull a prank on me again. Well, I wasn't Florence so I probably wont be able to see the prank they're going to pull on me until it activates.

One whole Christmas break filled with unexpected pranks.

Suddenly, I wasn't so exacted anymore.

Is it possible for me to hide in the Hogwarts Express until it reaches the school and spend Christmas with Florence instead?

"Cassie, oh, we've missed you!" Mrs. Potter said enthusiastically, pulling me into a hug. She kissed my forehead and Mr. Potter patted my shoulder.

"How was school, Cassie?" Mr. Potter asked kindly.

"It was good," I said, smiling.

Then, the smiling faces of Mr. and Mrs. Potter disappeared. They both look like they were about to burst into tears as they stared at me. What was going on?

Mrs. Potter opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the voice of James Potter.

"Mum and dad!" James said, grinning. "Nice to see you lot again. Missed me?"

"Oh, James, I missed you so much!" Mrs. Potter returned to her usual cheery self and pulled James into a big hug. Mr. Potter did the same with his own greeting and turned to Sirius after letting James go, welcoming him as well.

"So, we off?" James asked a bit impatiently. "I cant wait to take a long nap on my bed."

"Yes, we're off, love," Mrs. Potter smiled at him but her smile faltered after glancing at me. I raised my eyebrows at this.

After apparating to the Potter Manor, James and Sirius immediately run up the stairs, calling dibs on where to sleep. Sirius wanted to sleep on James bed and having him sleep on the floor instead but James wanted to keep his bed and didn't give a shit on where Sirius was going to sleep. Before they reached the top floor, though, Mrs. Potter had called after them and said that Sirius had his own room now on the third floor.

Sirius thanked her about twenty times and James was practically crying tears of joy at the fact that he was getting his room back to himself. When the two were inside their respective rooms, the house was quiet once again and I was alone in the living room since Mr. Potter had apparated back to work and Mrs. Potter was cooking supper in the kitchen. I wanted to ask her what was wrong and why she was acting so weird around me but instead, I walked upstairs to my room to have a short nap before eating. I was indeed exhausted.

I woke up to one of the house elves in the Potter Manor, telling me it was finally time for supper. I changed into some new clothes, together with a thick jumper to keep myself from getting frozen when stepping out of my heated room. James always complained about the heating system in the house. He wanted the whole house heated instead of just the bedrooms. Apparently, it would take a lot of work for Mr. and Mrs. Potter but I mentally agreed with him since I was practically freezing in my chair in the dining room as I ate.

Mr. Potter arrived halfway through supper with a tired look on his face. He slowly walked towards his own chair with a solemn look and usually glanced at me on his way. I tried to ignore his worried glances but I finally couldn't take them anymore during dessert.

"Mrs. Potter, will you please just explain to me why you're looking at me like that?" I asked quietly in the most polite way possible.

He sighed and dropped his utensils, making them fall on his plate with a clatter.

"Cassie," he started, running his hand through his hair just like his son does when he's nervous. "Dorea and I have something to tell you."

"Erm.. Charlus, I think I'm going to pass on this," Mrs. Potter said with a nervous chuckle. "I'm not good in explaining. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

She gathered all the plates and utensils and walked in the kitchen without another word. James and Sirius glanced at each other, confusion etched across their faces.

"You two, upstairs," Mr. Potter ordered, pointing at the two teenage boys.

"Wha- Dad! I want to know what's going on too!" James whined.

"No, James. This is for Cassie and for Cassie only," Mr. Potter replied sternly. "You'll know soon, anyway. It's probably going to be all over the news tomorrow."

Grumbling angrily, James walked out of the room, Sirius following him out. As soon as Mr. Potter and I heard the doors of their rooms close, Mr. Potter turned to me again.

"It's about your dad," he started quietly.

I was well aware that I had momentarily stopped breathing and all I could hear was the sound of my heartbeat. The last time Mr. Potter and I had talked about my father was when he visited me during my fourth year and told me he had escaped from a cell inside the Ministry with the help of his fellow Death Eaters. What did he have to tell me now? He said it was probably going to be all over the news tomorrow. What cruel thing had he done this time that required Mr. Potter to talk to me about it.

My eyes were filling with tears but I refused to let them fall until I heard the news. I had started to breathe again and I could hear Mr. Potter speaking. My eyesight was getting more and more blurry and I felt lightheaded. I couldn't pass out now. I had to hear this.

"He was seen by one of my aurors," he said. "He was able to hold Hunter off until the other aurors came, including me. We captured him and questioned him. He didn't struggle. He didn't try to get out. He was so calm out everything. Today, he was sent to Azkaban. He's locked up. Cassie, I need to know how you feel about this. Nothing you say will make us release him but I want to know what's in our mind right now."

"He's… He's in Azkaban?" I croaked, feeling the tears trickle down my cheeks. I covered my mouth with my hand. "He's not going to get out?" I whispered.

"Never," Mr. Potter shook his head.

I didn't know what to say to that. How did I feel about this, he asked? I didn't know. I was supposed to feel happy. He killed off innocent people. He killed my whole family. He killed my best friend's father. He took so many people from my life and yet, I couldn't say I was happy about him being locked up. I was disgusted at myself.

I buried my face in my hands as I sobbed. This wasn't right. Why wasn't I happy about this? Wasn't I supposed to be? Does this make me as bad as him? Why did I want him to be released? I should want him to rot in his cell in Azkaban. I should feel happy about this news. Anyone else would. Why not me?

"Cassie, you might not be too happy about this because he's your father," Mr. Potter explained softly, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I know this is hard for you. This is your father we're locking up, not just some random follower of Voldemort. Just tell me. Do you want him out?"

"Yes," I said almost immediately, my voice raising to a scream. "_I want him out! He's not a bad person! Please, let him out!_"

"Cassie, calm down," Mr. Potter placed his hands on both of my shoulders and looked me in the eye. "He cant get out anymore, Cassie. What he did to those innocent people is unacceptable. You have to know that."

I shook my head vigorously. "He's not a bad person. I lived with him my whole childhood and he did nothing to hurt me until my family died!"

"There's nothing we can do about this anymore, Cassie," Mrs. Potter sighed. "I'm sorry."

Mrs. Potter had entered the dining room again and gasped after seeing me. She rushed to my side and pulled me into a hug, whispering comforting things in my ear. I cried some more even though I desperately wanted to stop.

"That's not all of it yet," Mr. Potter continued to speak. "You're allowed to see him next week, only if you want. You have to promise me that you wont do anything to harm him or try to break him out, okay?"

I immediately nodded. "Yes, I want to see him."

"No breaking out, are we clear?"

Again, I nodded. I had to see him. I just had to see him one more time.

Azkaban was a dull, torturous place for people to be in. The Dementors were everywhere and I had to stare at the ground, focusing on the wet rocky floor and trying to keep my mind out of my worst nightmares. Mr. Potter was walking beside me and he was accompanied a couple more Ministry workers, specifically aurors. They were all walking around me with their wands out.

We rode magical lifts and walked up staircases until he finally reached the most heavily guarded cells in prison. It was much darker and colder than anywhere else. The tiny bit of happiness inside of me that I still kept as I walked here was slowly slipping away and I tried my best to hold on to it by thinking of all the happy things in my life. Sadly, there wasn't much.

"Cassie," Mr. Potter voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I didn't realize that I had closed my eyes tight and balled up my fists when we stopped.

"I'm fine," I croaked before he asked.

He nodded. "Are you ready? This is it."

I stared at the large metal door. There was a window with bars so close together that from afar, it wouldn't look like there was a window at all. Thankfully, there were no Dementors in sight but it was still cold and the unhappiness was still there. There was no way of getting rid of it.

"Would you like to talk to him alone or do you want me to be with you in there?" Mr. Potter asked me with wide eyes. I knew he wanted me to pick the latter but I needed to do this alone.

I shook my head. "I'm all right, Mr. Potter. Thank you for everything."

He sighed and stared at me with worried eyes before tapping his wand on the metal door. It slowly swung open soundlessly and it was completely dark inside. I was absolutely terrified. I felt like my throat had closed off and my brain just stopped working. I felt like my feet were just dragging themselves into the dark room and I was about to burst into tears when I heard the metal door close behind me. But as soon as the door closed, light filled the whole room and I saw a filthy man sitting on a filthy bed. There was a toilet and a sink on one corner and a tray of unfinished food on another.

The filthy man's dark cruel green eyes stared at me. Those eyes. They were my eyes except this man's pair of green eyes were darkened by numerous foul memories and the life in his eyes looked like they were sucked out by a Dementor. His hair was an oily shade of black as they rested on his shoulders. His face and his whole body was smeared with dirt. We wore an orange pair of trousers and a matching tee.

I couldn't believe that this man was the man I had once loved. This man was the man that my mother had trusted her life with. This man was the man who betrayed his whole family. This man was the man who ruined my whole life. This man was my father.

"Cassidy Marisa Hunter," Harrison Hunter said in a low gruff voice, staring at me straight in the eye. "Born on the fourteenth of February at six thirty-four in the morning in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Your mother named you after her own grandmother but I chose your second name to match hers. Marisa… Oh, how much I miss her. I miss her laughs and her smiles. The worried face she has when she hears you talk about your life in school without any friends. When she asks you to help her cook and you only do when she promises to sing. She sang like an angel. Her voice can brighten even Azkaban."

"Then why did you kill her?" I whispered, staring back at him.

"Do you think that I killed her?" he whispered back dangerously. "Why in the world would I kill her? I loved her."

"No, you didn't!" I raised my voice in anger. "You hated Muggles! Why would you love her? You killed her and her whole family! Even yours! You had siblings in that house and they had children!"

"They married Muggles and Mudbloods," he hissed. "They deserved it."

"So did you!" I cried. "You married a Muggle! What makes you any different?"

"Marisa was perfect. She was my one exception to my rule of interacting with scum. I loved her too much to kill her. Since the first day we met, I had already fallen in love with her. I tried not to. I knew she wasn't magical. But no. I couldn't help it."

"So, again," I whispered, tears falling from my eyes. "If you loved her so much, why did you kill her?"

"They said they would spare her!" my father cried angrily. "They said they wouldn't lay a finger on her! Her death was the reason why I took you and left! Her death was the reason of all of this!"

"You didn't kill me," I stated. "You had many chances to but you didn't."

"You were the only one left to remind me of her," he croaked. "You look so much like her. Too much. You looked so much like her that I couldn't handle it anymore. I couldn't stand being the same room with you anymore. I couldn't stand hearing your voice because overtime you talked, I heard her. So I left. I left everyday and I took out my anger on women passing by. Did I feel guilty? Of course, I did. But I couldn't stop. I would always remind myself that Marisa is and always will be the only woman for me. But I knew that I could never have her."

"What made you go back, then?" I asked quietly.

"I had no where else to go," he chuckled darkly. "I was angry at everything because the one person who lit my whole life was gone. I thought that if I couldn't have someone like that in my world then nobody else can. I thought it was unfair for me to lose her and for everyone else to be happy with their loved ones."

"Yes, and look where that thought led you to," I said harshly.

He smiled darkly at me. "I've taken enough lives to satisfy myself, Cassidy. Now, I wait. I wait until I pass away myself. Then, I can join Marisa in another world. But you should know that I love you as much as I love her. Marisa isn't the only reason why I didn't kill you. Why didn't I just leave you in the house filled with dead bodies? Why did I take you with me in hiding? You meant as much as Marisa did in my life. But I've lost you too. I lost you the second you saw your mother dead in that kitchen. I know that you blamed me. You constantly told me that you blamed yourself but in the back of your mind, I was the one you hated for everything that happened.

"It's very unlikely that you'd ever forgive me for what I've done but you need to know you and your mother were my whole life."

"And everyone else?" I asked stonily, staring straight into his eyes.

"The rest of my family can go die in pain for all I care," he admitted calmly.

There was a loud knock on the door. "Cassie, your time is up!" Mr. Potter's voice echoed inside the cell.

The sound of his voice put an evil smirk on my father's face. "Have fun with the filthy blood traitors you live with now, Cassidy. But, the clock is ticking. Your time with them is almost up."

My feet were glued to the floor. I couldn't move. I was still staring straight into the cruel green eyes of my father.

"Cassie? Your time is up. It's time to go," Mr. Potter's voice filled the cell once again.

My father's smirk widened. Then, he opened his mouth to speak in a dangerous whisper.

"_Tick_."

Mr. Potter called my name again.

"_Tock_."

"Mr. Potter?" I said shakily, hoping he'd come in.

"_Tick_."

Everything was quiet. So quiet that I would be able to hear a pin dropping from the floor below us. Then, I saw the cell door opening from the corner of my eye. Mr. Potter appeared, holding up his wand. I focused my attention on my father once again and he was openly grinning now, revealing a set of greasy yellow teeth.

"_Tock_."

And there was a blast.

* * *

><p><em>This shouldn't be good. Cassie finally talking to her father? This obviously wouldn't end well.<em>

_"Harrison Hunter is her dad!" -James Potter, Live To Die, Chapter Eight, Bad Confrontation_

* * *

><p><strong>You are all so perfect to put up with my long updates. But guess what guys? I really hope I can update faster now because I finally quit my time consuming job and now I'm working part-time for someone else and it's less time consuming here! Hope you guys like this chapter! Sorry for the cliff hanger. It was needed. :D**_  
><em>

**Please check out the links of the characters in my profile! I'd love to hear some feedback about them. :)**

**Review if you can! I'd love you forever and it gives me the motivation to update faster! Love you all so freaking much. Xxxx**

**PS- Sorry if there are a lot of typos here. I really wanted to post it fast so I sort of scrolled down the chapter fast and didn't get to check all the sentences. :(**


	28. Battling Heights

**Battling Heights**

_Rule #23: You always meet obstacles on your way to the prize._

* * *

><p>Apart from the sound of the shaking ground and walls, I could hear my father laughing like a mental patient. He's gone out of his mind. There was no way to bring him back to his old calm self when my mother was still around and we were all still a happy family.<p>

"Cassie!" Mr. Potter shouted over the noise.

I turned to face him, eyes wide and my heart pumping against my chest.

"Something's happening! We have to leave now!" he shouted again.

My whole body felt numb but I managed to give him a nod and I let him pull me out of my father's cell. Before the door closed, I looked back to see his mental state. He was still laughing as he watched Mr. Potter and I try to escape. We locked eyes for a second before the door completely closed and Mr. Potter dragged me down the stairs with the other aurors following. One by one, the aurors with us started to go separate ways to battle a few people who had entered Azkaban.

I was pretty sure they were Death Eaters. Death Eaters had invaded Azkaban. Was this because they needed to free my father? Was he really that close to Voldemort that he would have the whole army of the Dark Side to bust him out? I couldn't see how he turned out this way. He was not my father anymore. But even with that thought, I felt the urge to rush back to the cell and drag him out with us to safety.

Mr. Potter had his wand out and was sending curses towards Death Eaters in our way. I pulled my wand out as well but I didn't use it. There was only one auror left with us. It was cold and depressing and that's when I knew that there were definitely Dementors nearby. I passed a hallway in the prison and briefly saw a Dementor suck the soul out of a blonde Death Eater. The sight sent shivers down my spine and I felt the need to vomit.

"We're almost at the apparition area, Cassie," Mr. Potter said quickly as we ran. "We're almost there. We'll get out of here. The others will take care of the Death Eaters. There are new aurors with us today. This isn't fair for them. They only started to train."

I was aware of the ground shaking even more and pieces of the ceiling were starting to fall. I imagined the ceiling collapsing on Mr. Potter and I and I almost stopped running because of how frightened I was in here. We might die in this place. So much things could happen right now that could lead to our death. A Death Eater might pop out of nowhere and send the killing curse towards us. The ground might collapse and Mr. Potter and I would fall down to the next floor with a painful landing that might be enough to kill us.

"We're almost there," Mr. Potter said, panting.

We finally exited the shaking building and we were back outside where there was even more of a battle. Ministry workers had started to arrive and they helped the aurors battle the followers of You-Know-Who. I could hear the roar of the ocean that surrounded the prison and now, I was worried that we would slip and fall from the big rock that held Azkaban prison and into the icy water that would kill us in seconds.

As we neared the part of the rock where apparition was possible, everything went wrong. A spell came out of nowhere and it hit Mr. Potter's leg. He stumbled and fell forward. He let go of my hand before I fell down with him. A Death Eater started to approach us but Mr. Potter's leg seemed to be paralyzed and he couldn't move. I didn't know what to do so I just stood there, trying to talk to Mr. Potter, asking him what I should do now.

Problem was, his whole body was slowly stiffening and I assumed it was because of the spell. The spell started to paralyze his leg and now it's paralyzing his whole body. This spell was obviously dark and absolutely disgusting. Who in the world would make a spell like this? I kneeled down beside his body, screaming, asking him what I should do. He tried to speak, but no words were coming out of his mouth. Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm. Startled, I immediately turned to the person who touched me.

Thankfully, he was one of the aurors who came with us. He tried to pull me away from Mr. Potter but I wouldn't move. I screamed for Mr. Potter but he wouldn't talk. His eyes were slowly closing and I begged for him to stay with me. Finally, the auror who was still holding on to my arm managed to pull me away from Mr. Potter's paralyzed body. He pulled me even further away and started to run.

Tears streaming down my cheeks, I was forced to follow him but I still screamed. I screamed for the man who'd done so much for me. I would never forgive myself for what I've done. He took me here to see my father. This was absolutely my fault.

Then, I felt the air rushing out of my lungs. I felt like someone was trying to forcing me to be pushed inside a very narrow tube. But the feeling didn't last long. When my feet touched the ground once again, my eyes were still closed but the noise of the battle in Azkaban was no longer there. All I could hear were people rushing around and speaking in low voices and fast tones. After what felt like a lifetime, I opened my eyes and saw the familiar Atrium of the Ministry of Magic.

Memories of the Ministry of Magic started to fill my head. The last time I stepped foot in this place was the time my father was arrested and thinking of my father led me to Mr. Potter who I imagined was still laying on the cold, rocky ground of Azkaban, numb and paralyzed.

"We have to go back," I croaked, surprised that my voice was still working.

Many Ministry workers had stopped walking to stare at me, only to start walking away from me again in a faster pace than before. I tried to ignore the whispers and stares directed to me and focused my attention to the auror who brought me here. I instantly knew that he was one of the young aurors that were just starting their training. His dark hair was all over the place and his face was red from all the running he had done in the prison. His startling blue eyes were wide as he stared at the ceiling. I was wondering if he even heard me.

"We cant go back," he finally said.

My eyes widened at his accent. He wasn't an English man. He sounded….. American. And I knew how Americans sounded like.

"Mr. Potter is still there," I said a bit angrily.

"He'll be okay, I swear," the auror finally faced me. "There are a lot of experienced aurors there. One of them told me to get you when Charlus was hit. He told me to bring you back here. They'll take care of him."

"Were you the only new auror there?" I asked him quietly.

He shrugged. "I was the newest. I only started to train here about a month ago. Pretty surprising that they picked me to go with you and Charlus to Azkaban."

"You're not from here," I said.

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm actually from the United States. New York, to be exact. I worked as a teacher in a school for the magical there and I was offered a spot here which was pretty big. I guess I was recommended to them a few times by my Head."

"You're sure Mr. Potter will be okay?" I asked shakily.

He nodded quickly. "I know that spell. The spell that hit him. It's not that bad. The aurors there would know what to do. I'm sure. Don't worry about it. Now, I need to get you back home. When I get more news about Charlus, I'll make sure to let you know, all right?"

I sighed and nodded stiffly. He grabbed my arm and we apparated to the Potter Manor. When I saw the familiar gates of the Manor, I couldn't help but smile at the fact that I had arrived home safely. I could only hope that Mr. Potter would get home the same way. The auror walked me to the front door and he was about to disapparate back to the Ministry. But before he could leave, I asked him one last question.

"What's your name?" I blurted out.

He turned to me once more and sent me a toothy grin.

"Jack," he said. "Jack Daley."

* * *

><p>"Oh, my dear, you're all right!" Mrs. Potter gasped as soon as I entered the living room. She ran towards me and pulled me into a tight hug.<p>

"Mr. Potter," I said quietly, trying not to start sobbing again. "He's still there. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I didn't-"

"No, no, no, Cassie, don't you dare even think for a second that it's your fault," Mrs. Potter said, releasing me from her grip and kneeling down in front of me to match my height. "He's going to be all right. Charlus is strong. He's going to come back to us. I know he is."

After a few more comforting words from Mrs. Potter, she finally let me up to my room to freshen up. Of course, before I could reach my room, someone stopped me before I could get past the third floor.

"Where is he?" James Potter hissed, blocking the staircase up the fourth floor.

"I don't know," I said quietly.

"James, let her pass," Mrs. Potter suddenly appeared by the stairs with a stern look on her face.

"Where's dad?" James demanded.

"He's going to be fine, James," Mrs. Potter answered calmly.

"He's not fine!" he screamed. "There were Death Eaters there! Then _she_ comes home without him! _Why did you even let her in the house?_"

"James, it wasn't her fault," Mrs. Potter snapped, eyes flaring.

"It's okay Mrs. Potter," I croaked out, voice cracking. "Excuse me."

I pushed past James with tear-filled eyes and ran up to my room.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Potter had been correct when she said that Mr. Potter would be all right. I reckon you can count him being the hospital for a mouth all right. It's better than him being dead.<p>

James wasn't talking to me. According to him, everything was my fault. Sadly, I agreed with him no matter how many times Mrs. Potter would tell me otherwise. Sirius, being James' best friend, ignored me as well. The two boys wouldn't stay in the same room with me unless we were eating. If we were eating, they would eat faster than anyone else and dash out of the room in five minutes.

The auror, Jack, had indeed informed me about Mr. Potter by sending me a letter by owl, stating that Mr. Potter was in the hospital now. We visited him and he actually seemed pretty normal. He had a few scars and he was getting extremely pale but other than that, he was pretty okay. I was delighted to see him well and I'd be more happy to see him back on his feet, leading the other aurors. I even asked him about Jack when I visited him the third time.

Apparently, the man was currently twenty-five years old and he was indeed from New York City. He didn't move here alone though. He apparently brought a friend with him so he wouldn't feel that homesick since there was someone with him from home. His friend was yet to be revealed and I had no idea what he was doing here, if he was working for the Ministry as well or he was just staying in his flat for the whole day, waiting for Jack to come home.

Soon enough, the break was over and we rode the train back to Hogwarts. I was alone in my compartment, thinking about my best friend who spent her Christmas in Hogwarts because her sister was currently very busy and she wasn't allowed to come back for Christmas. She didn't seem too down about it though. She was actually very excited to stay in Hogwarts for the break.

It was nice to see Florence again. The week after arriving in school after the break, we were already given loads of homework from the teachers but I actually looked forward to doing homework if it was going to be with her. Unfortunately for me though, Florence rarely ever did her homework with me so I was stuck sitting alone in the library with tons of books piled up on the table.

Everyday during breakfast, I'd always look forward to receiving the Daily Prophet to hear news about Azkaban. The incident had happened a month ago but there was not a single article about it. I was getting very suspicious. Did the Minister not allow anyone to publish articles about this? If so, why? I really wanted to know what happened to my father, if he escaped or not. If he escaped, then it should be all over the news to warn everyone. But there wasn't a single article about him either. Frustrated, I would leave the Great Hall in a very bad mood and it would continue on until lunch time.

Of course, the Marauders were still ignoring me. Not even Florence was able to talk to any of them and she was the one helping James get Lily Evans. For the whole month of January, no words were spoken between the Marauders and I. Strangely, I was okay with that since I didn't really ant to keep up with their shit any longer. During Quidditch practice, James would ask Marlene to give me his orders. How childish.

The semifinals for Quidditch was approaching fast and so was my birthday. Unfortunately for me, the match and my birthday were on the same day. And to add to my bad luck, Felicity met a bunch of Slytherins in the corridor two days before the match against them.

"Hunter!" James called as I approached the Quidditch field for our last practice before the match.

I stop walking, stared at him for a while and started to walk again, not looking at him.

"Hunter!" James called again in a more irritated tone.

I stopped again, turned to him, eyebrows furrowed. I definitely wasn't imagining that. He was actually calling my name. James Potter was actually talking to me.

"Yeah?" I said slowly.

"Come here," he ordered.

Confused, I started to walk briskly towards him, gripping my broom tighter than necessary.

"What is it?" I asked politely once I reached him.

"You're playing tomorrow," he said with a slight scowl.

A few of my teammates gasped and turned to look at me with wide eyes.

"Wha-What?" I stuttered, breathing quickly as I felt my heart growing faster.

"You're playing Seeker tomorrow," he repeated calmly.

"No, I'm not," I said quickly. "Felicity is."

"Felicity," he started, his scowl deepening. "is in the Hospital Wing."

"What?" Jenn gasped. "How?"

"Oh, no, she met Slytherins again, didn't she?" Damian moaned.

"Yesterday," James answered.

"Bloody Slytherins," Sirius growled, kicking Frank's leg.

Frank gasped in pain and sent Sirius a glare.

"I cant play," I said staring at them all. "You know I cant!"

"If you cant play, Hunter, why did I let you in my team?" James said irritatedly. "As much as I dislike seeing your face in practice everyday, I'm forced to put up with you because I know you can fly a broom. You will catch that bloody snitch tomorrow because we all know you can, understand?"

"James, I haven't been practicing as much as she has," I said. "There's no way I can be as good as Felicity. You know who I'm against?"

"Regulus, yeah, I know," Sirius said, eyes flaring. "Look, his skills are for shit. You can beat that guy. Anyway, he's your boyfriend isn't he? I'm sure he'll lose this game for you."

"He is not my boyfriend," I glared at him.

He rolled his eyes.

"I don't care who's dating who; I just want you to catch that Snitch, we clear?" James snapped almost angrily.

I didn't answer him. I simply stared disbelievingly at him.

"I expect to see you here tomorrow. Now, laps everyone!" he said, returning to the captain that he is.

* * *

><p>"This is absolutely insane!" I said as I readied for my first Quidditch game since I joined the team. I was shaking as I tried to put my Gryffindor scarlet and gold Quidditch uniform on.<p>

"Cassie, this is a piece of cake," Florence said from her bed as she watched me look around the floor for my gloves.

"This is not a piece of cake, Flo," I said exasperatedly. "This is my first game and it's up to me to catch that Snitch and have Gryffindor win. If we don't win, everyone's going to hate me. Again!"

"Ah, well, you can almost blend in the shadows again."

I turned to glare at her. "You're not helping."

"Sorry, Cassie, but you really shouldn't be so worried about everything."

"Do you even know who I'm against here?" I grumbled.

"Regulus Black? Yes, him. You can take him."

I shook my head at that. "No, definitely not. Out of all the Seekers here, he's the one that I'm pretty sure I cant take. He owns that title like James owns the title of the greatest Chaser ever seen in Hogwarts! Fine, maybe not like that but he's good. Really good."

"He taught you, right?" she said nonchalantly.

I felt the heat rise up my cheeks. "Sort of."

Then she shrugged. "You've got nothing to worry about. You two are friends… Err… Sort of… He'll take it easy on you for sure."

"I've seen boys and their Quidditch, Flo," I said with a weak chuckle.

"Oh, and by the way, happy birthday, love," she sent me a wink.

Finally, I found my gloves under Marlene McKinnon's bed and looking at them made me feel the need to barf. I let my head fall on the mattress as I groaned.

* * *

><p>"AND POTTER SCORES AGAIN! Dear Merlin, Flint's getting pretty angry there. Whoa, mate, cool it!" Corner said.<p>

We were leading. Thank Merlin we were. Maybe if Regulus caught the Snitch, we'd still win because of James' numerous shots. I tried my best not to look down. Sadly, Regulus knew my fear of heights and he'd obviously use this to his advantage. I remembered seeing him while James and the Slytherin captain, Maccabe, shook hands… Well, that's what they were supposed to do anyway; Not try to break each others fingers.

Regulus was actually pretty surprised to see me with the rest of the team in the scarlet and gold Quidditch uniform and the broom he had given me in fifth year. This broom actually felt very special to me. First, because it was my first broom and second, without it, James would possibly push me off the Astronomy tower.

When the referee blew the whistle, I kicked off like I usually did. My kick off wasn't perfect but I at least didn't fall to the ground, face-first, like I usually did when I was still learning. That decent kick off saved me from embarrassment for the rest of my life. I tried to follow Regulus around with my eyes but he was too fast, flying around the pitch. One second, he's by the Slytherin keep's hoops then the next second, he's flying to the other end.

I wondered if I should be like that as well but I decided to just slowly fly around the pitch so I could spot the Snitch better. If I flew around as fast as that, I was pretty sure I'd pass the Snitch without even seeing it. It might be a different case with Regulus. He could be a professional Quidditch player. The boy's a beast as a Seeker. He can spot the Snitch from the other end of the field.

I continued to fly around the pitch slowly. I did avoid passing the Slytherin stands though. They tried to shout very vulgar things to me and I really didn't need their comments at the moment. I even watched the game go on a bit. It was a much better view when you're above everyone that by the stands. As the game went on though, it started to get darker and darker. The clouds were grayer than ever and I was starting to get worried.

Finally, thirty minutes in the game, it started to rain. It wasn't the soft kind of rain either. I meant the rain that you'd usually see as a storm. The water kept getting into my eyes and I was starting to fly faster than I was before because I was afraid I might hit one of my teammates. I squinted, trying to look around for the fluttering Golden Snitch. I could vaguely hear the roar of the crowds and I couldn't even hear Corner's commentating anymore.

Suddenly, a flash of gold came my way. There it was. It was flying right above the Gryffindor keeper's hoops. For a second there, I thought I saw it first but then I saw Regulus' figure already flying towards it. I flattened my chest on the handle of my broom and sped off.

"Faster," I whispered urgently to my broom.

Then, a Bludger came whirling out of no where and I was just in time to duck before it knocked my head off. Jenn Goldstein came into view and she hit the Bludger towards Regulus. I could still see the Golden Snitch but it was flying further and further away. Regulus dodged the Bludger and continued to fly. I was already by his feet.

I could feel my heart pounding quicker than ever and my eyes were stinging. Suddenly, Evangeline Maxx's stupid face appeared out of nowhere. Regulus acted fast and pulled his broom up to go over her. I just move my broom to the left at the last second but the distance between us was too small for me to really turn left so I did, indeed, collide with her body.

I could have sworn that I heard her laugh before zooming away and I was left there, cold and unbalanced. It seemed like everything was in slow-motion. When she flew away, I had no one to lean on to to keep me from falling so no matter how hard I tried to keep my balance, I failed to do so as I heard the blow of the whistle.

I managed to hold on to my broom to keep myself from falling completely. Screw the rain for making it hard for me to hold on. Then, Evangeline Maxx's stupid face came out of nowhere again and she was laughing openly at me this time. Getting extremely angry at this son of a bitch, I hung on the broom with both my hands and swung my feet to kick her face.

The satisfaction of feeling my feet hit her head filled me inside, also when she nearly fell over when she let go of her broom to clutch her face in pain. She screamed angrily and flew nearer to me. I didn't realize what she was going to do until it hit me. Literally.

Her fist sunk into my stomach and I nearly let go of my broomstick. I started to cough and my throat suddenly felt really dry. I felt like I was going to vomit out blood.

Then, it turned into a full-blown war.

I kicked her shin and she grabbed my foot, almost making me let go of my broomstick once again. She was screaming so angrily that it was hurting my ears.

"_You think you can just kick my bloody face like that, you stupid bitch_!" she said, twisting my ankle slowly, making me feel the pain.

I tried to shake my foot out of her grip but she was holding it too tight. I kicked her shoulder with my other foot repeatedly. She once again screamed in pain and this time, I definitely messed with her temper. She pulled her wand out from her long thick green and silver sock. My eyes widened when she pointed it above my head. I looked up in panic, staring at the broomstick that was keeping me up in the air. Then, right before my eyes, a nonverbal spell split my broomstick in half.

"No," I muttered, wide-eyed.

Then in a second, I was hanging in midair, only staying up because Evangeline Maxx was still holding on to my foot. I closed my eyes tight, trying to the ignore the feeling of being up in the air above everyone else and the possibility of dying. I felt the familiar sensation all over my body when I was high up. Who the hell suggested I tried for Quidditch anyway?

"_Stop the game! Stop the game!_" a familiar voice screamed over the rain. I opened my eyes to see who it was and saw the one and only Regulus Black looking more worried than ever. He already held the Snitch in his hand but he wasn't waving it up like he usually did when he caught it. Instead, he was waving his other hand and he kept glancing worriedly in my direction.

This was my time to start screaming, especially since my eyes were open, I could see how exactly far I was from the bloody ground.

"I can let go of you now, Hunter," Evangeline Maxx said viciously, smiling sadistically at me.

I screamed at her as a reply.

I could see a bunch of figures starting to surround us and some were even shouting at her with me. Marlene McKinnon flew the closest to her which was quite brave to be honest. But Evangeline pointed her wand at the brunette Gryffindor with the same evil smile she sent me.

"Oh, love, you wouldn't want to come near me," she hissed.

I could feel the blood rush up to my head and it was highly uncomfortable. I could feel Evangeline's grip on my ankle weakening and I started to scream again.

"EVANGELINE MAXX, DO NOT LET GO. I REPEAT DO NOT LET GO." Professor Dumbledore's voice echoed in the Quidditch pitch and instantly, everyone was quiet.

I heard Evangeline curse repeatedly under her breath. What, did she think she could get away with this? That she wouldn't get caught? I am hanging upside-down in the middle of the Quidditch up in the air and she's the one holding me up. How the hell can people not see us?

"Everyone, get back down!" the referee shouted over the rain.

The Quidditch players surrounding Evangeline and me did what they were told and flew back down. I was pretty sure I was shaking from the cold and the fact that I was still high up in the air. The referee flew nearer to me and whispered some comforting words as she put one hand behind my back and arched it a bit. She put her arm around my legs and told Evangeline to let me go. With a scowl, she did and I let out a small squeak.

Thankfully, I didn't start to fall down to the grass and to my death. The referee carried me down as she flew until finally, she reached the grass and set me down on my feet. Obviously, I stumbled and fell, face-first. I spread my arms out as if to hug the ground.

"I'm alive," I whispered to myself under the rain as people started to gather around me. "I'm fucking breathing, oh Merlin."

"_CASSIE_!" Florence's ear-piercing cry nearly broke my eardrums. I opened my eyes to see her push through the crowd and she fell to her knees beside me.

"Are you all right?" she said urgently.

"No," I said with a loud groan. "That was traumatizing, Flo. That was like the scariest thing that's ever happened to me."

"You're okay, you're back down here," she whispered to me.

"I am never going up there ever again."

* * *

><p><em>An interesting first match for Cassie. Let's see what the Professors think of Cassie and Evangeline Maxx's little episode up in the air…<em>

_"Loretta and Evangeline Maxx. I've never heard about them but their family's well-known. Twins, they say they are. They're tall but skinny. I don't know much about their skill but they're just as determined as the other Slytherins. We shouldn't underestimate them just because they're new." -James Potter, Live To Die, Chapter Sixteen, Meet And Greet_

* * *

><p><strong>And right you are James Potter... You dont underestimate the Maxxs. Oh no! What'll happen to Cassie now?! Cant reply to anons right now because I really need to go soon. My excuse for being a bit late for updating now is...<strong>_  
><em>

**BECAUSE THE OLYMPICS ARE UP AND ITS HELD SOMEWHERE NEAR ME. I am a swimmer and I love watching these games every four years. Do you watch the Olympics too? WE CAN BE FRIENDS!**

**Now, about the chapter, like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think in a review if you want! Really helps me lots with this story! Love you all. Mwah! Xxxx**


	29. Under The Weather

**Under The Weather**

_Rule #24: Know that everyone has a secret._

* * *

><p>"I cannot believe what just happened up there," Professor McGonagall said, her eyes wide with anger and her nostrils flaring. "Both Gryffindor and Slytherin will be disqualified and both teams will not be able to compete for the final. That leaves Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."<p>

Evangeline and I were sitting in her office as she stood up behind her desk. Professor Slughorn was standing in the corner, watching us. I don't even think he was listening. He obviously just thought our episode up in the air was some tiny spat between us and we'd be hugging and apologizing tomorrow morning. I almost snorted at the thought.

"She started it," Evangeline muttered.

"I started it?" I screeched.

"Yes, you did! You hit me first!" Evangeline shouted back.

"Ladies, stop!" Professor McGonagall snapped. "I don't want to hear anything else from you two. Starting tomorrow, Ms. Hunter, you will be serving detention with me and Ms. Maxx, you will be serving detention with Professor Slughorn. This will be for one whole week after supper."

I groaned while Evangeline grinned. She knew she wasn't going to do anything with Professor Slughorn in detention while I was stuck with Professor McGonagall. I wanted to say how unfair this punishment was but Professor Slughorn was currently still in the office and I didn't want to get in even more trouble for talking badly about him in front of him.

"Be happy that is all we are giving you two for punishment," Professor McGonagall snarled, clearly wanting to give us more for what we did to each other. "But it is Professor Dumbledore's decision and I best not question it. I would like to add something else before you go. A hundred points will be deducted from both your houses."

"A hundred?" I gasped.

"Would you like me to double it, Ms. Hunter?" she snapped.

I stayed quiet after that. After she let us out, Evangeline tripped me in the hallway and left me on the floor, laughing as she briskly walked away. Growling, I stood up and ran to Gryffindor Tower, scared of what awaited me there. Everyone would obviously stare at me while I passed. One of them might have already passed the hourglasses that held the house points and would have told everyone in the tower about the big amount of points that was deducted from the Gryffindor hourglass. They also probably knew about the disqualification. I buried my head in shame as I walked.

Finally, I reached the Gryffindor common room. After giving the password to the Fat Lady, I stepped in, expecting the worst. But when I stepped in, nobody was in the common room. I checked my watch and it was dinner time and everyone was in the Great Hall, most probably. I sighed in relief and turned to the staircase going up to the girl's dormitories. Before I could take a step nearer though, someone walked down the boy's staircase. I was most probably the unluckiest person alive because the boy was the one and only, messy-haired and hazel-eyed boy, James Potter.

"Oh, hey," he said, obviously surprised to see me in the common room. "You're here."

"Yeah, I am," I said quietly, staring down at the floor.

"You all right?" he asked, a little bit awkwardly.

I nodded, still not letting myself look up at him. I heard him take a few more steps nearer to me until he was finally right in front of me. He was near enough for me to see the tip of his shoes as I stared down at the scarlet carpet.

"I'm sorry for letting you play out there, Hunter," James said.

Out of shock, my head snapped up to look at him with wide-eyes. Did he just... apologize to me?

"Wha— It's— Yeah... It's fine..." I stuttered.

"I knew that you didn't have training and Slytherins were probably going to target you but I still let you up there because I didn't want to forfeit the game. If we didn't have a seeker with us, then we'd be forced to back out. I didn't have a choice but to put you in. I'm sorry. I knew I shouldn't have. I was being really stupid because of Quidditch."

"You don't to have to apologize, James," I said quietly.

"Yes! I do!" he exclaimed, almost angrily. "I've been so stupid lately. No wonder I can't even get a girl who I've been going for for as long as I can remember."

"James—"

"Cassie, do you know why I always try to ruin your life?" he said before I could say anything. His eyes were wide and his voice cracked. "Because when you first came, I knew something different was going to happen to Hogwarts. I knew you transferring would change our lifestyle up a bit, whether it was for the better or for the worse. I didn't want anything to change! I was happy with how things were! I didn't want some new girl to mess it up! So I decided to ruin your life before you could get any friends. Unfortunately, you met Florence before you got to Hogwarts so I couldn't get her to avoid you like everyone else. I thought getting her to help me would make her realize how much of a loser you were and leave you. Then everyone wouldn't even know that you existed anymore and Hogwarts would be like it was before you came.

"I'm horrible, I know that! And I'm sorry! You probably won't forgive me because of everything that I did and I really don't care. I just want you know that I'm genuinely sorry for everything that I did to you. I'm sorry for all the pranks. I'm sorry for making everything hard for you here in Hogwarts. I'm sorry you almost died up there. That's exactly why I just realized everything I did wrong now! When for a second there, I thought Maxx was going to drop you and everything was just going to go downhill from there. Yes, I thought you were going to die. I realized how bloody selfish I was being and thought about everyone who would get affected by your death, my parents especially. I'm sorry. I just... I'm just really _really_ sorry."

"I can't forgive you for everything you did to me, James," I said, looking him straight in the eye. "If you expect me to just forgive you, right here, right now, then you're wrong. If you still think I'm the girl from fourth year who couldn't stand up for herself at all and just let you pick on her, then you must be bloody stupid then. I didn't want to change anything here Hogwarts! I didn't want anything to happen to the system or whatever you all call it. I just wanted to have a normal school life for once since I spent half of my childhood learning magic from my father in the middle of nowhere."

James shrugged. "I apologized. You didn't forgive me. It was what I expected. I meant it though. Every single sentence of that ridiculously long apology."

"I can't forgive you for ruining my life," I said simply. "You wouldn't know how it feels to wake up everyday and ask yourself if you really were awake. You wouldn't know how it feels to constantly think of killing yourself because of how horrible your life is already. You live a happy life with your parents and friends and the attention you get from the whole school. I thought going to Hogwarts would make my life a whole lot better because I would be getting a fresh start. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as planned."

James didn't look angry or sad or amused even. He stared at my green eyes with no emotion at all.

"I can't beg for you forgiveness because that's not something I would do," he said. "I said my piece and you heard it."

"Goodbye, James," I said.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly but that was all I got from him. He turned and left the common room, probably to eat dinner. I knew that that goodbye had meant so many things and James leaving me without another word just proved that what that simple goodbye meant was right.

It meant that he was finally walking out of my life. It meant that I was finally going to get some peace now that he wasn't going to bother me anymore. It meant that he was merely a stranger to me now. And indeed, all these were correct because for the next few days, it was like we didn't know each other at all. Some would think we were just having our normal arguments and we were pretending not to know each other but it didn't feel like that at all. I actually felt free. I knew he wasn't going to do anything to me or talk badly about me to other people. I still had the habit of looking over my shoulder to see if someone with a wand was following me, ready to jinx me but I actually did that less now.

Detention actually wasn't as bad as I thought since I was alone and Evangeline wasn't with me. I spent the whole night in Professor McGonagall's office, sorting papers or scrubbing desks. I couldn't use my wand which was a bummer. After the first few days of detention though, I got even more bored with the work I did and complained a lot. It was a relief when my week was over.

The Gryffindors knew about the deduction of house points because of me but because James didn't mess with me now, not a lot were hating me because of it. They also knew about the disqualification but most Gryffindors seemed pretty okay with it since Slytherin was disqualified too. Usually, if I did something embarrassing or simply just something bad that would put the whole house to shame, James would make everyone hate me for it. Now that he didn't do that anymore, I was getting less hate than usual.

Even Florence didn't mention him anymore but I was pretty sure she was still helping him get Lily. She would disappear after classes from time to time but I never asked her where she was going. I never did. Maybe because I just didn't want her to say James's name in my presence or because I already knew where she was going.

Weeks and eventually, months passed by and the end of the year was fast approaching. Everything was normal and happy except for those who received purple letters from the Ministry that indicated the loss of a relative. Nothing much changed around the castle until about a month and a few weeks from our exams, Dumbledore made an announcement during supper.

"Students, we will be having aurors roaming the castle at night, inside and outside, together with the prefects with their scheduled rounds and of course, the Head Boy and Head Girl," Professor Dumbledore said to everyone in the Great Hall. "One thing to remember is that these aurors are serious about their jobs and they will not tolerate any student who will disrespect them. They were chosen to guard our castle and you must treat them with respect. They are here to protect us, not entertain us. We live in dark times, students... It is not likely that you will see them along the corridors but if you will be in the same situation as one of them, then I advise you to be very respectful. That is all. Now, you may all continue eating your wonderful supper!"

"Aurors?" Florence immediately whispered to me after Professor Dumbledore sat down. "I'd love to meet one of them."

"Didn't you hear Professor?" I rolled my eyes at her. "We shouldn't disturb them."

"He said we shouldn't disrespect them, not disturb them," Florence said. "I've always wanted to meet an auror anyway. It's one of my career choices."

I dropped the utensils I was holding and turned to face Florence in shock.

"_You want to become an auror_?" I hissed.

"Well, I've been thinking about it and I could really use my skills in following people around if I was an auror so why not?" Florence said with a frown.

"Flo, it's dangerous!" I said, wanting to tell her not to become one at all.

"Cassie, it's just a career choice," she said with a shrug. "I also want to become a journalist which would give me the opportunity to travel abroad and take pictures of beautiful places and write articles about them. What about you? Do you have any idea what you want to do after graduating?"

"Nope," I said glumly. "I'd like to teach actually... It would be nice to teach kids what I got to learn here. But joining the Ministry seems like a good option too."

To be honest, I never actually thought of what I was going to do after school. I was very serious about wanting to teach but I didn't know what I would be able to teach and maybe joining the Ministry would be a better idea.

For the next few days, Florence and I would usually pass by an auror wearing a traveling cloak on our way back from the Great Hall at night. They really were everywhere and I didn't even think they were that much in the castle. I always saw the same auror around the castle and it freaked me out that they probably knew many shortcuts around the place to get to one place to another so fast. They really were trained for this and I really couldn't imagine Florence being one of them.

On a Friday, Florence and I made our way to Gryffindor Tower back from supper, taking our usual route. We saw an auror walking in the usual hallway we saw aurors walking but this time, Florence finally made her move to talk to him. Something didn't seem right when she was trying to call the auror though. The author that usually passed by here and the one that we always saw was a blonde and the man walking there now had dark messy hair. Or at least, that's what I could see from his back. I tried to stop Florence from calling him and tell her he isn't the guy we always passed by but she already ran to him and stood in front of him, making him stop.

I couldn't see his face since I was way behind him but I could see Florence and her face changed from excitement to horror to surprise. She looked from me to the dark-haired man and back to me. Her eyes were wide and she kept blinking. I didn't know if she was trying to send me a message or...

"Hello there," a familiar American accent said. He followed Florence's eyes and turned around, facing me.

I knew him. The second I saw his face, I instantly recognized him as Jack Daley, the auror who saved me from Azkaban, with his dark hair still as messy as before and his blue eyes, big and bright.

"Jack?" I gasped in surprise.

"_You know him_?" Florence exclaimed.

"Wait, do you?" I asked her, furrowing my eyebrows.

"I met him in New York!" Florence said, staring at Jack again.

Jack frowned. "What?"

"I met you in New York with Jesse!" Florence said with a nod.

"Jesse?" Jack blinked at her. "You mean Jess? My best friend?"

"Yes, Jess! Jess Preston! Wizard, sister of Jenna Preston—"

"How the hell do you know my best friend?"

"We met in his pastry shop!" Florence said, obviously frustrated at the fact that Jack probably didn't remember her anymore. "What's the name again? The one his mum owns? The one where wizards and witches go to and Jenna works in there and—"

"Cakes N' Icing?" Jack said slowly.

"Yes!" Florence exclaimed happily. "Yes, that! I met you there with Jess!"

Jack stared at her like she was from out of this world. "Kid, I think you mistook me for someone else..."

"No, I swear that was you!" Florence stomped her foot. "I know it was! You introduced yourself as Jack!"

"Look, Cakes N' Icing is a really popular place for witches and wizards to go to and you might have just—"

Florence groaned and buried her face in her hands. She lifted her head up again with a look of desperation.

"Please, it really was you," she said. "I know it was. I even know Jess. Ask him! I swear, ask him and he'll know me! I'm Florence, Florence Flanagan."

"Sure, kid," Jack said, still weirdly staring at Florence. "I'll go ask him when I get home tomorrow for the day."

"Wait, he's here? In the U.K.?" Florence asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh my Merlin, Cassie!" she turned to me, eyes wide as Galleons. "Jess is here! Cassie, he has information! He has information about Spencer! I'm sure he does!"

I was pretty sure my heart stopped after hearing his name. Spencer? Spencer Abrams? I hadn't heard that name in months. I was aware of the fact that my hands were starting to sweat and my face was losing its color. For months, I've successfully avoided talking and thinking about that boy but now that Florence had mentioned him again, the pain in my heart returned.

"What does he know?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"He knows if he's all right," Florence said smiling. "He knows if he's starting to remember already. Cassie, if we get to see him—"

"Whoa, who said anything about seeing him?" Jack said its a frown. "Hey, lady, I don't know you. I'm not bringing someone I don't know to my best friend."

"Jess knows me!" Florence said stubbornly. "I know he does! Even ask him!"

"I think you two should go back to your common rooms," Jack said. "It's nearly past curfew so I wouldn't want to bring you two to Professor McGonagall for detention."

Thinking about detention with Professor McGonagall almost made me cringe.

"Come on, Flo," I murmured, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the Tower.

"I swear, Cassie, he knows me!" Florence said. "He even knew Jess!"

"Flo, you met them in New York a year ago!" I sighed. "Do you know how many people named Jack live in New York? Seeing as that name's pretty common, I'm sure there are tons of Jacks in New York. His last name is Daley. Is that the last name of the Jack you met?"

"I don't know," she muttered.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "You don't know?"

"Well, I met him for like five minutes."

"Five minutes?" I said in surprise. "Flo, how can you just conclude that that man is the Jack you met for five minutes? You might have forgotten how he looked like already! Maybe it was just the accent."

"You don't understand, Cassie," Florence said, a bit irritated. "I know that was him. You know me. I don't forget easily."

* * *

><p><strong>JAMES<strong>

"So that's it?" Sirius asked me for the third time during Defense Against the Ark Arts as the Professor droned on about different jinxes and curses we were going to have to study about for the exams. "You're done. You're just going to pretend she doesn't exist. I'm sorry, but that really doesn't make sense since you've been doing the same thing since January."

"Well, I'm not messing her life up behind her back this time," I shrugged. "She can do whatever she wants now and I'm not there to ruin it for her."

"And why are you doing this?"

"Remus," I admitted. "I meant every word I said to her though but I don't think I would have apologized if it weren't for Remus."

"You're not a bad person, Prongs," Sirius said.

"Padfoot, I'm horrible."

"You don't seem as horrible when you're with us."

"Well, that's because I'm with you guys!"

Sirius sighed and turned his attention back to the professor. After our class, I told Sirius I needed to use the loo for a while. I made my way to the nearest loo, trying to dodge the many students exiting their own classrooms. Suddenly, someone stepped out of the classroom I was just about to pass and I bumped into the stranger.

"I'm so sorry!" he said, gathering the things that fell out of his bag.

I knelt down with him and helped him gather his things. I saw the titles of some of the books I had gotten and realized that he must have been a third year.

"Are you all right?" I asked the kid, standing up and handing him the books. I couldn't help but form a crease in between my eyebrows when I saw how he really looked like. His tousled dark blonde hair and big blue eyes looked extremely familiar to me but I couldn't think of the person's name. But I was positive that I've seen this kid before.

He was shaky when he took his books from me. It was like I was handing him a bomb. I noticed the uniform he was wearing and realized he was a Slytherin. I almost pulled my wand out after realizing this fact but I managed not to when I stared into the Slytherin's eyes which were wide with fear.

"You didn't do anything to these, did you?" he asked, voice shaking as he stared at the books I handed him.

"Of course, not," I frowned. "Why?"

"It's just... Never mind," he murmured. "Thank you for helping me. I have to go now."

"Wait!" I called before he could leave. "What's your name?"

"A-Alex," he stuttered. "I'm Alex."

"What's your last name?"

"Greengrass," he said so quietly that I almost didn't hear him.

He must have seen the look of shock on my face after saying his name because his eyes widened and obviously thought I was going to jinx his arse into next week. He quickly left but I ran after him until I was able to step in front of him.

"Wait, I have to ask you something!" I said.

"Please, I just want to leave! I didn't do anything this time! I don't even talk to her anymore!"

"You're friends with Cassie Hunter, aren't you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, I'm not! I'm not anymore, I swear!"

"Look, I'm not going to—"

"Greengrass! There you are!"

Greengrass gasped, swiftly turning around. I didn't know he could look even more scared than he was when he was talking to me but apparently, he could. He stared at three smirking Slytherins walking towards him. I knew all three but the one who walked beside curly-haired Evan Rosier pissed me off the most. His dark hair just as greasy as I remembered it to be and his dark eyes emotionless and cold. I hated his guts.

"Snape!" I hissed, my hand immediately darting to the pocket of my trousers where my wand was.

"Well, well, Potter. Why am I not surprised? Always looking for a fight, you are," Rosier smirked.

"Fuck off," I snapped. I nudged Alex Greengrass and tried to tell him to leave with my eyes before he got hurt.

"Ah, Greengrass," Rosier said, clicking his tongue at the little boy. "First that filthy Gryffindor, Hunter. Now, you interact with this little blood traitor over here."

He took a step forward and I immediately stepped in front of Greengrass, eyes wide with my wand out of my pocket. I didn't know why exactly I wanted to help the third year Slytherin but seeing him so frightened in Evan Rosier's presence actually made me want to protect him. A voice in my head kept telling me to leave now because the boy was a Slytherin anyway but I couldn't leave. For some reason, I chose to stay in front of Alex Greengrass and it seemed like I shocked Snape too, seeing the look on his face when I stepped in front of the third year.

"Potter, you don't want to do that," Rosier chuckled darkly, pulling his wand out as well.

"Leave," I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Why would I leave if the person I'd like to talk to is currently hiding behind you like a coward?"

Then, I saw Greengrass show himself to his fellow Slytherins out of the corner of my eye.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at him.

"I'm sorry," Greengrass said to Rosier, his voice shaking.

"Don't worry, Greengrass," Rosier sneered. "We'll try our best not to punish you too severely."

I didn't know it was possible for Greengrass to become paler than he already was.

"Didn't I tell you to leave?" I said, raising my wand.

"Come on, Evan. He's not worth it," the third Slytherin, the one and only Regulus Black, whispered to his companion. He sounded pleading and desperate as he said it which I didn't really understand.

"Let's go, Greengrass," Rosier snapped at the third year.

But he didn't move. Greengrass stood stiff beside me, his eyes darting from left to right as though looking for an escape route.

"Alex, let's go. Please," Black pleaded, his eyes wide as he stared at Greengrass.

But again, he didn't move and Rosier got impatient.

"Greengrass, let's go!" he snapped, stepping forward and grabbing his arm.

That's when I reacted violently.

Fuming, I pointed my wand at Rosier's arm and non-verbally sent a stinging jinx. Hissing and cursing profusely, Rosier drew his arm back and glared at me.

"I'll kill you for that!" Rosier screamed, pulling his wand out and sending a curse towards me.

I managed to block the spell before it hit me. I nearly sent another spell but I saw that Snape and Black already had their wands out as well.

"Drop the wand, Potter," Snape said slowly.

"Do you think I'd take orders from you?" I growled. With a flick of my wand, I murmured, "_Expelliarmus_."

It wasn't a surprise when Snape blocked it. I expected it anyway but it was worth a shot. He was definitely not the ultimate wimp I met in first year.

"Potter, suggest you leave before you get hurt," Rosier sneered.

"_What in the world is going on here_?"

Jumping in surprise, I turned to whoever had spoken and saw a very angry Lily Evans, standing in the hallway with her hands on her hips.

"You're all supposed to be in class right now," she snapped at us.

"So are you," Rosier said with a snort.

"I came from a Prefect's meeting," Lily said icily. "Now, what exactly were you boys planning on doing to each other?"

"Do you think that's any of your business, filthy Mudblood?"

Growling, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him to me roughly.

"_Don't you dare call her that_," I hissed.

"Who do you think you are, telling me what to do?" Rosier hissed back. He pushed me away, making me stumble backwards. "You two would be good for each other, a Mudblood and a blood traitor." He glared at me before turning to Greengrass. "Come on. We're leaving."

Rosier started to walk away, Black and Snape following him. This time, Alex Greengrass followed him as well and I nearly held out my arm to stop him. Greengrass, still looking as scared as he was before, sent me a look, obviously telling me not to do anything. I watched him walk away with his fellow Slytherins, feeling worse than I possibly could have been.

"Potter, what was that?" Evans asked, surprisingly civil.

"They were trying to get the kid to go with them," I said. "I didn't want him to and they got angry."

"Why we're they making Alex Greengrass go with them?" she frowned, sounding concerned.

"No idea."

"There's something up with them," Evans said. "I don't know what but there's something going on."

"I think I might have an idea," I murmured.

* * *

><p><strong>CASSIE<strong>

"Don't you miss it, Cassie?" Florence asked me as we sat down on the couches in the Gryffindor common, watching the Gryffindor Quidditch team discuss in the far corner of the room. They were probably discussing about the upcoming match of Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff.

"Nope," I said simply, tearing my eyes away from them and turning my attention back to the crackling fire.

"Not even a bit?" Florence asked again, her eyes wide.

I shook my head. She rolled her eyes at me.

"I don't even know why you tried out for it in the first place if you were just going to quit after your first game," she grumbled.

"Flo, Evangeline Maxx held me up in the air by my ankle in front of the whole school. Oh, and in case you forgot, I'm afraid of heights!" I told her, getting a bit irritated.

"I know, Cassie, and I'm sorry for being a bitch about it but I just think it's sort of a waste of talent."

"Believe me, I've no talent in the pitch," I said with a chuckle.

Florence snorted and sent me a disbelieving look. "You're joking, right? Cassie, James bloody Potter saw potential in you and you still think you've no talent in the pitch?"

"Pretty much, yes," I shrugged.

"You are impossible," she mumbled, turning her attention back to the team, probably just to stare dreamily at Sirius.

"How's Jack, by the way?" I laughed.

She immediately turned her attention towards me again and sent me a glare.

"You're still stalking him, right?" I asked, shaking from laughter. "Flo, he isn't the guy from New York that you met!"

"I know he is, all right?" Florence snapped. "You didn't see him in New York last summer! I did and he's the guy, I'm sure of it! I get that he might have forgotten me already since he was only with me for about five minutes but I remember him! He still tries to ignore me whenever I greet him in the corridors."

"He probably finds you creepy, Flo. I seriously think you should stop with all this. You're even taking a break from the Marauders! This is just unusual!"

"Cassie?"

Hearing my name almost scared me to death. I swiftly turned around and saw Remus standing there awkwardly. My eyes widened at the sight of him.

"Hello, there," he greeted with a nervous smile.

I blinked rapidly, not believing what I was seeing. Here he was, Remus Lupin, standing right behind the couch I was sitting on, talking to me. He hadn't talked to me in months. I even think the last time we had an actual conversation was when we went to Hogsmeade together. The thought of Hogsmeade then got me a bit irritated at the sight of him. After asking me out, he ignores me for months, leaving me to think what exactly I did wrong to him, only to realize that he was probably ignoring me because of James. But why didn't he talk to me when James finally backed off?

"What?" I snapped unkindly. I immediately felt bad for snapping at him like that after seeing his face drop.

"Can I please talk to you for a second?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, sure," I said, making sure I sounded more polite this time.

I stood up after asking Florence to wait for me. I followed Remus out of the common room and he led me to an unused classroom nearby.

"Look, I'm sorry for being such a git to you," he immediately started to say after I shut the door behind me.

"You ignore me for months after asking me out," I said icily.

"I've been such an arse, I know," he said, looking ashamed at himself. "I shouldn't have done that. It's just, James and Sirius, you know?"

"Oh, I know," I said with a grimace.

"Ah, I suck in these kinds of things," Remus muttered, burying his face in his hands.

I sighed. "Look, Remus—"

"Wait, please, before you say anything, please give me another chance. I swear I won't screw up!" he pleaded.

"I don't see why you still want to talk to me seeing as you're best friends with James Potter and Sirius Black."

"Who cares about what they think?" he snorted. "I think I really fancy you, Cassie. I'd love to get to know you more."

"I'll see you around, Remus," I said, giving him a small smile and leaving the classroom.

For the next few days, I would receive random roses in the middle of the day. First years or second years would hand them over to me, telling me it was from a boy in my year with brown hair. Florence was absolutely thrilled whenever I received a rose. She would always tell me that Remus really fancied me and I'd tell her he didn't. But honestly, I'd feel a familiar flutter in my stomach whenever I received a rose. By the end of the week, I had seven, one for each day. Just looking at them put a big smile on my face. Florence would constantly tease me about it and I'd just tell her to shut up.

I kept all seven flowers on my bedside table in a vase Florence conjured for me. It was heartwarming to see them there whenever I woke up in the morning. I'd see Remus smiling at me from the other side of the room from time to time. Sometimes, I couldn't help but smile back at the adorable boy.

* * *

><p><strong>JAMES<strong>

"You're okay with this, right?" Remus asked me nervously after explaining to him his plans to go for Cassie Hunter again.

"Mate, whatever you want, I'm cool with it," I said truthfully as I walked to my last Quidditch practice for the year. Even if we weren't in the final, I was making everyone practice anyway. I wanted to be prepared for next year and next year was my last year. We had to win that cup.

"I'm scared though," Remus said shakily. "What if she finds out about me and my... You know..."

"Moony, if she does happen to find out and leaves you because of that then there's obviously something wrong with her," I said with a frown. "You're probably the nicest guy I've ever met and— Well, I guess there's Damian but he's _Damian_. Who's nicer than that guy? My point is, she can't just leave you because of something about you that isn't even your fault in the first place. You're such a great guy."

"Thanks, mate," Remus said, smiling at me. "You know, people should see how much of a great guy you are too."

"Well, it's too late for that, isn't it?" I chuckled darkly as we finally reached the pitch.

"I don't think it's ever too late," he said, gazing up at the stands.

I tried to see where he was looking and finally saw what he saw. There she was, just as beautiful as ever, sitting on the bleachers, reading a book. Her dark red hair was tied back in a ponytail and her emerald green eyes looked so focused on the book she was reading. My heart sped up at the sight of her and I felt a smile form on my face.

"What's she doing here?" I asked Remus quietly.

"No idea," Remus said.

"Oi, Captain!"

Sirius' call snapped me back into reality. I finally tore my eyes away from Lily Evans and turned my attention towards Sirius who was waving at me and Remus from the middle of the field.

"We starting or what?" he shouted again with a big grin on his face.

I noticed everyone on the team seemed pretty happy today. Ever since Hunter got us disqualified, we've all pretty moody lately. None of us blamed it on her though. We all knew it wasn't her fault. I guess we were just pretty bummed out that we're weren't competing in the final which was the first time since my first year here. But today seemed different. Everyone had a smile on their face and they talked and laughed together.

One thing everyone knew about the Gryffindor Quidditch team was that we weren't usually friends outside of Quidditch. There was always a tense atmosphere in the team, maybe because some of the greatest Quidditch players in the school were in our team and everyone wanted to be better than the rest. Usually, teams were family outside Quidditch but that didn't usually apply to us.

Right now though, seeing everyone laugh and joke together looked so natural as if we've been buddies for years. Maybe we still had a chance in becoming a family.

Practice went smoothly. We didn't do anything that hard. We were even able to talk to each other during the practice. Usually, us practicing meant that we needed to be completely focused on the sport and joking around meant you're out of the pitch. It was nice to have some fun for once. That's Quidditch after all. When my dad taught me how to ride a broomstick when I was a kid, the first thing he told me was that Quidditch was for me to have fun. Just because you're dedicated to a sport, doesn't mean you have to be so serious about it all the time. I guess I forgot everything my dad told me after getting in the team in second year. Maybe in seventh year I could change all that.

Practice ended a bit early because I noticed it started to get darker and darker and it was probably going to rain soon. After practice, Lily Evans was still seated on the stands with her book. I was just finishing up with the packing of things while everyone was in the lockers. Even McKinnon was in there already. If Evans was here to wait for McKinnon, why was she still sitting up there. Suddenly, she lifted her head up and her eyes met mine. I could feel my face heating up at the fact that she caught me staring at her. But surprisingly, she didn't mouth any profanity towards me like she usually did before. Instead, she gave me a small smile and stood up, leaving the stands.

I sighed, knowing that she was off to find McKinnon. I looked back down at the Quidditch supplies I was fixing and finally, I closed the lid of the chest that held everything. I nearly gasped at the sight of Lily Evans standing before me, hugging her book to her chest.

"Hi," I managed to say, staring wide-eyed at her.

"Hi," she replied.

I stood up from the grass I was kneeling on just a few moments ago. I brushed the dirt off my knees and looked up at Evans again.

"You all right?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing what exactly I was supposed to say.

She nodded silently and we stood there in an awkward silence. Well, at least, it was awkward for me.

"I just wanted to talk to you about someone," she started off quickly. "I know you must be one of the only people in this school who'd know about him because you two interact a lot."

"All right, who is this?" I asked.

"It's Severus," she said.

I could feel the anger boiling inside me at the mention of his name.

"Why would I know anything about that git?" I snapped, staring at the ground.

"Because of what you told me last time we were talking in the hallway," she said calmly.

"I just told you they've been recruiting him for the Death Eaters," I sighed, looking back up. "That's the only thing I'm positive of."

"That's exactly what I want to talk to you about. How do you know?"

"Evans, do you know who he's friends with? Everyone knows about Evan Rosier and people have seen the Dark Mark burned on his skin already. I haven't seen it myself but I have enough sources about that."

"Do you think I'll still be able to stop—"

"Evans," I said, sounding awfully tired. "I honestly don't think you can anymore."

She bit her lip and sadly stared at me.

"I'm sorry," I added. "I know you two were friends."

"Thank you," she said.

We stood there not talking again but I guess we stood there for too long because it had started to rain already and we both had to run to the nearest shaded area before we got soaked. Unfortunately, the nearest shaded area had been the place where the referee usually sat down, especially when it was raining during a tournament. There was no door leading to the inside of the castle so we were stuck there.

"Shit," I murmured, staring at the wooden box that contained the Quidditch equipment we used. It lay under the rain on the Quidditch pitch. "Madam Hooch is going to kill me."

Evans laughed. "She's always angry at your team, isn't she? Marlene always tells me."

I felt a smile form on my face, thinking of the memories. "That was when we never packed up after practice and she'd always tell us off for it."

"Can you believe that it's almost the end of our sixth year?" Evans asked me, her voice raising for me to hear her since the rain was getting louder and louder.

"Nope," I answered simply.

"What are you looking forward to the most in seventh year?"

I turned to look at her. "I'm not looking forward to anything in seventh year!" I said loudly, making sure she could hear me. "I want everything to just slow down a bit! I reckon— I reckon everything's just going too fast! Next year is our last year in Hogwarts! I don't want to leave yet! I feel like... I'm leaving my whole life! I know that this time next year, I'll probably be going somewhere alone, bawling my eyes out because I wouldn't be returning next year!"

Evans laughed again. "I'm sure you won't be alone!" she said, grinning. "I'd like to join you then! I can understand how you feel!"

"I bet everyone in our year can! Who wouldn't miss this place?"

Evans turned to look at me with a small smile on her place.

"When you're not asking me out, you're actually a pretty decent person to talk to?"

"Just decent?" I said with a playful tone.

"Yes, just decent!" she said then sticking her tongue out.

"I say we run for it!" I said, staring at the other side of the pitch where the first entrance to Hogwarts was. The second entrance was nearer but that usually led off towards the Slytherin dormitories. No, thank you. I really would rather not head there.

"Are you mad?" Evans laughed. "Do you not see how far that is?"

"Would you like to stay here all day?" I asked her. "I don't know about you but I've gotta get in the loo to take a shite soon so—

"Shut up!" she said with a giggle, slapping me in the arm. "Good Merlin, I'm starving," she suddenly mumbled, clutching her stomach with her left hand as she held her book with her right.

"On three, okay?" I said, grinning madly. "One..."

"Two..." she continued.

"Three!" I said before running off under the rain.

Behind my soaking glasses, I caught a glimpse of Evans running beside me. I have to admit, I nearly slipped once or twice but luckily, I managed to keep running without doing so. I just imagined that we were in Quidditch practice, running our rounds while it was raining. I've done that tons of times before. Evans, though, suddenly stopped when we were halfway through the pitch. Her stopping caused me to stop.

"What's going on?" I shouted.

"My book!" she shouted back. "I dropped it! I have to find it! Go on without me!"

"No, it's okay! I'll find it! You go! You'll get sick!"

"No way!"

She turned and ran back, staring at the ground to find her book. Sighing, I followed her back, keeping my eyes open at the ground as well. Finally, after less than a minute of searching, I found it in a mud puddle not so far away from where we stopped running.

"Evans! Hey, Evans!" I called, crouching down to grab the book.

Suddenly, I felt a poke on the side of my stomach making me jump and fall on the wet and muddy grass.

"Shit, Lily!" I said, clutching the side of my stomach. "You don't just do that!"

She stood in front of me as I was still laying on the ground. Her hands covered her mouth and her eyes were filled with laughter.

"You're ticklish!" she stated in between giggles.

"No!" I immediately said, feeling my face getting red.

Then she started openly laughing.

"Whatever, there's nothing wrong with that," I grumbled, standing up and grabbing her book from the ground.

We both started to run back to the entrance until finally, we made it. We both stood there, panting. I took my glasses off and tried to wipe the water with my tee which was useless because my tee was soaking wet as well.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you," Evans said, looking like she was trying to hold in a laugh.

"That'll be our secret though," I told her.

"What, that you're ticklish?" she said, starting to laugh again.

"I don't get why it's so funny!"

"Because you're a guy! Guys usually—"

"Hey, Peter is ticklish too, mind you!" I said.

She rolled her eyes.

"What about you? Are you ticklish?" I said before suddenly stretching my arms out and poking her waist. I expected her to take a step back in giggles but surprisingly, she stayed put, raising her eyebrows at me.

"I'm not ticklish, James," she said.

Then, my eyes widened at her. I felt my heartbeat getting quicker and a huge grin appeared on my face. In happiness, I grabbed Evans by the waist and carried her back outside under the rain. I spun her around a bit before putting her down and grinning down at her.

"What was that for?" she shouted, smiling back up at me.

"You called me James!" I said.

"That's it?" she laughed. "That's why you're so happy?"

"You're the love of my life, Lily! Of course I'll be happy when you start calling me by my first name!"

Suddenly, her smile faltered a bit and a bit a sadness appeared on her face.

"I'm not," she said. "James, I'm not the love of your life."

"Yes, you are," I said. "Why do you think I've been asking you out?"

She shook her head.

"James, I'm really not—"

"Fine, maybe not the love of my life but I fancy you," I said quickly. "I really really fancy you, Lily."

"How can you say that when I've been so nasty to you for the past years?"

"Well, I know I deserved every single slap, insult and no from you," I said.

"No, you didn't. I was such... such a... such a bitch!" she blurted out.

I frowned. "Of course not. Don't ever say that again because you are the most perfect girl I have ever laid my eyes on! I deserved everything you said to me because I was such a bloody git to you, to Cassie and to everyone else out there! But I'll change! I swear, I will! When you told me to back off before, it killed me and I got angry and I just realized now how much I want to change for you."

She gazed up at me and lifted her hand up to touch my cheek.

"When I told you to back off before, I thought I meant it," she said quietly. I tried to hang on to every word she was saying since it was pretty loud because of the rain and I might not be able to hear her.

"Did you?" I asked.

She sighed heavily, dropping her hand.

"James, you don't fancy me," she said. "I know you don't! I can see it in your eyes!"

I opened my mouth to speak but she spoke again before I could.

"I've seen how much you've grown to be so mature now," she said with a smile. "I'm telling you, I have. But you don't fancy me! You don't!"

My frown deepened. How would she know how much I fancied her? I've loved her since first year and nothing changed.

"But I know you do fancy," she continued. "You fancy Cassie, James!"

My eyes widened and I took a step back.

"No!" I said immediately. "I don't!"

"Yes, you do!" she insisted. "James, ever since she arrived, she's the one you've been arguing and fighting with, not me!"

"Lily, you don't understand—"

"I do understand, James," she said then she turned to the entrance to the castle. "I have to go eat. I'll see you around, okay?"

And with that, she ran off inside, leaving me under the rain, alone. I thought about what she said. No way could I possibly fancy Cassie Hunter. I knew who I fancied and it's always been Lily Evans, no one else.

* * *

><p><em>It seems that James really does fancy Lily. But why would Lily think otherwise? And how did Cassie get in the picture?<em>

_"She actually cared that you got hurt every time she turned you down?" -Peter Pettigrew, Live To Die, Chapter Twenty-Seven, Trip To Despair_

* * *

><p><strong>HELLO THERE. I NEED TO MAKE A VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT.<strong>

**First off, my computer crashed! I can't use anything else to type my story down except for my iPad! Typing one whole chapter on my iPad is ridiculously hard and I hate it but I won't be getting a computer in a while so updates will most probably be like this for a while. I also wouldn't be able to answer anons. So sorry :(**

**Now, I'd like to make a BIG SHOUTOUT to LIZALUVSDOGGIES. She helped me loads in this story. :)**

**If you would take the time to answer these questions, I'd be so happy!**

**How long would you like this story to go? Until graduation? After Lily and James' deaths? Just tell me what you think! :)**

**Also, if you'd like me to make a sequel. Thank you so much for reading and I love you all! Reviews make my day and help a load! Hope you all enjoyed the long chapter! Till next time, loves! Xx**


	30. Up And About

**Up And About**

_Rule #25: Your identity is one that you don't just reveal without thinking._

* * *

><p>Mummy and Daddy were on a bench. It was a bright sunny day and Mummy and Daddy were sitting under a large tree. A rectangular swimming pool lay nearby under the scorching heat of the sun. On the freshly mowed grass was a picnic table with a bunch of fruits spread out across the table. I assumed they were sitting in a backyard. A backyard that looked all too familiar. A swing rested beside the large tree and I felt the need to run to it, a sense of longing filling me as I stared.<p>

Mummy was holding a baby. The baby was familiar. Oddly familiar. She already had hair, blonde and curly. Her green orbs were gazing up at the blue sky while Mummy spoke to her. The baby did not understand her. I was sure of it. Why was Mummy still speaking then? If the baby could not understand her, what was the use of speaking to her?

Mummy was beautiful as always. I could see the resemblance of her and the baby. Her eyes were very different though. They were a crystal blue pair that would lighten anyone's day. Daddy was very lucky to have her. Daddy watched Mummy speak to the blonde child with a look of pure adoration but there was sadness in his green eyes that I did not understand. Was he not in love with Mummy? Was that not the reason why he was married to her?

"One day, my love, you will become a beautiful woman with my talent of music and your father's brains," Mummy said softly to the child.

Her talent of music? Why did I not know that she had liked music? The last time I've ever heard her sing to me was when I was a very small child. I always loved her voice. I never knew why she stopped.

"I am sure she will be just as beautiful as you, my dear," Daddy said to Mummy.

Mummy gazed lovingly at him. "And she will have your loving personality."

"She'd still be perfect without it," Daddy said, taking the baby from Mummy.

"I expect you to do great things, my love," Mummy said to the little girl. "You will be an intelligent woman who is brave and ambitious. Just remember, when you're all grown up and we are no longer alive by your side, daddy and I will always be here."

"Love, she will think I am a bad person," Daddy said sadly, cradling the baby in his arms.

"And why would she think that?" Mummy asked.

"I would be out working most of the time. What if she thinks I do not spend much time with her and loath me for it?"

"I do not think your own daughter can ever loath you, Harrison," Mummy assured him. "You are a very busy man but she will know that what you do is for her."

"I am afraid, Marisa," Daddy said quietly.

"Do not be afraid, my love. I am sure she will love you as much as I did."

"She looks so much like you."

"But with your beautiful eyes. Harrison, those eyes will always be proof of the part of you that is inside her. She might be more similar to you than you think. You will never know. She might become a daddy's girl as she grows older."

"I hope so," Daddy murmured, staring at the baby lovingly. Then a flash of anger appeared in his eyes. "She is not going anywhere near _that boy_."

Mummy chuckled. "He will not harm her Harrison. He is a friend, a very good one."

"Friend or not, he will not go near _my_ daughter."

Mummy shook her head fondly at Daddy then opened her mouth, starting to sing to the little girl.

_Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,_

_Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,_

_Brown paper packages tied up with string,_

_These are a few of my favorite things._

_Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels,_

_Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles._

_While geese that fly with the moon on their wings,_

_These are a few of my favorite things._

_Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,_

_Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,_

_Silver white winters that melt into spring,_

_These are a few of my favorite things._

_When the dog bites,_

_When the bee stings,_

_When I'm feeling sad,_

_I simply remember my favorite things,_

_And then I don't feel so bad._

"What a beautiful musical that was," Mummy said with a soft sigh after singing a part of one of her favorite songs. She started to speak to the little girl. "You just remember all _you're_ favorite things if you're upset or in trouble. They will get you through all the problems you will face. I know all _my _favorite things get me through my hardships in life. But one thing you should never do, my love, is trust one who you do not know. Everyone has secrets. If you get too close to one who is actually against you, maybe even your favorite things will not be able to help you. Be strong, Cassie."

The mention of my name startled me. That little baby was me. Tons of realizations flooded my head at this piece of information. Daddy was the dad who deserted and betrayed me. Mummy was who he killed. We were no happy finally. We never were.

I watched my dad smile evilly and stand up. He pulled his wand out and without thinking twice, he pointed it at my mother and she was gone after a flash of green light. I screamed for her, terrified that I had just lost her. All because of my father. I lost her loving smile, her caring and gentle hands and her beautiful voice that would always put me to sleep.

Then my face hit the floor of my dormitory making me groan in pain and irritation.

"Thank Merlin, you're awake!" I recognized Florence's voice exclaim in delight.

"Why the _bloody hell _did you push me?" I growled, getting up and rubbing my eyes which were getting sore from the light coming from outside the window.

"Well, I tried to shake you awake but you just wouldn't stop screaming," Florence said.

"Oh," I muttered, embarrassed.

"You all right?" she asked hesitantly.

I tried to think of the dream I just had. I didn't know if it was a dream or more of a memory but I couldn't exactly remember it well. All I knew was that I was there and I was just a child. A newborn child, to be exact. I wasn't alone, that was for sure but who was there with me?

"Yes, I'm fine," I nodded.

"Ah, well, I hope you are because you should be happy today!" Florence said, grinning. "Were heading back home today, Cassie! Isn't that exiting? I've missed Elaine so much!"

Home... I looked around the dormitory. This was my home. I loved Mr. And Mrs. Potter but I still couldn't call the Potter Manor my home, especially since I had always been unwanted there. Probably not now but before... I shook my head at Florence.

"This is my home, Flo," I said calmly. "If only I could stay here for the summer..."

"You'll be alone though. Unless you can convince your _boyfriend_ to stay here with you the that's no prob—"

I silenced her after I slapped her in the arm.

"I do _not_ have a boyfriend, Florence," I snapped.

"What do you call Remus then? A snogging buddy?"

I shot her a glare. "We are not together nor do we snog," I said.

"So what are you?" she said exasperately. "He obviously fancies you, Cassie! You're just too bloody stubborn and insecure to see it!"

"I assure you, Flo, I do not fancy him nor does he fancy me."

"You may not fancy him, Cassie, but I'm sure as hell he fancies you. Do you not see how he looks at you?"

"Flo, he doesn't fancy me. Anyway, I'm much too busy to think about boys right now. Do _you_ not realize that next year, we'll be taking N.E.W.T.s? I'm pretty sure they're _much_ harder than the O.W.L.s."

"We're leaving next year," Florence stated, staring out the window. Suddenly, I saw her eyes filling up.

"Oh, my dear Lord, not again," I muttered before turning to my bed and lying down, pulling the covers over my head. "You're not going to cry over that again, Flo, you hear me?"

"B-but Cassie, it's just so s-sad!" Florence sobbed, kneeling in front of my bed and burying her face in my bed sheet.

"Flo, don't ruin them!" I exclaimed, pulling my sheet away from her.

"_Why aren't you sad?_" she wailed. "You said this was your home!"

"It is," I nodded. "but I don't like thinking about... _that_..."

"You mean leaving?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "I just said I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, you have to talk about it one day, Cassie! We're so near to that point of our lives where we let go of Hogwarts!"

When I felt my own eyes watering, I burried my face in my pillow. "I am never going to let go of Hogwarts," I said in a muffled voice.

I could imagine Florence giving me a sympathetic look.

"Oh, love, you _have_ to let go of it," she said quietly. "This is part of every witch and wizard's life! Letting go of the school they grew up in! I mean, most magical people stay in one school for whole seven years or so. You're going to have to let it go whether you like it or not."

"I'll teach here," I said, my head still in my pillow. "I'll never leave."

Florence sighed. "You are hopeless," she muttered. "Hey, Cassie," she suddenly said and I knew she was going to change the subject. "Are you going to try out for the Gryffindor team next year for Quidditch?"

I looked up, glaring at her. "Of course not," I said, rolling my eyes.

"But, love—"

"Don't _but love_ me," I snapped. "I am never playing Quidditch ever again in my entire life."

"Oh, stop being so dramatic, Cassie," she shot back. "It was one match."

"Flo, Evangeline Maxx held me up thirty feet in the air by my ankle on my first Quidditch match on my _birthday._"

"Well, at least your birthday was eventful," she said uneasily.

"My seventeenth birthday, Flo. I celebrated my seventeenth birthday _almost dying_."

"Ah, well, it was worth a shot," she shrugged.

"Why do you want me to get in the team again, anyway? You know they have another Seeker so they wouldn't need me in the first place."

"Because I liked to watch your practices!" she said, clearly irritated.

"Because of Sirius Black?" I raised my eyebrows. "Didn't you _already_ watch the Gryffindor team's practices before?"

"Ah, well, this is different, you see. If my friend is there, then I wouldn't need to hide while watching."

"So, I'm just an excuse for you to fawn over Sirius Black without hiding," I said, my eyebrows raising higher.

"Precisely," she said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes at her. Then she started to walk to the door.

"Where are you going?" I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Getting some breakfast for you," she said. "I've already eaten. After breakfast, though, you're telling me about that dream of yours."

I groaned as she left the room. I hoped she had dropped _that_ subject.

* * *

><p>The ride back home was a sleepy one. I had slept for more than half of the trip while Florence slept through the whole six to seven hours. When we finally arrived, I didn't want to step out of the train but I saw Mrs. Potter waving at me, Mr. Potter and James and Sirius by her side. Smiling tightly, I made my way towards them and after greetings and hugs, we apparated to the Potter Manor.<p>

I was never very excited, going back to the Potter Manor during the summer. I always loved returning for Christmas because it was so beautiful in Maryfields during the winter. The food was also heavenly. Now, for summer, Maryfields was quite dull. I spent the next few days locked up in my room, writing letters to Florence. She would constantly remind me to try harder remembering the dream I had since I had told her so little about it before. Problem was, the more I tried to remember, the more I forgot. I didn't think it was too important anyway. If it _was _about something important, I would have remembered it for sure.

About two weeks into summer, I finally received Florence's reply to my letter a week ago.

_Cassie! Glad you're doing all right back there. Hope the boys aren't messing with you. Anyway, remember the apparition lessons we had back then in sixth year?_

I smiled. Of course, I did. It was a fun one as well. Florence had successfully apparated after a few tries when I didn't even move an inch out of my place. It was ironic that it was Florence, who probably hasn't even experienced apparating her whole life until that lesson, who managed to apparate before most of the sixth years, including me and James, who apparated with Mr. and Mrs. Potter all the time.

I looked back down at the letter, reading the rest of its contents.

_We can actually take our test early next month. You don't have to reply a yes or no because I already signed us up so you're going whether you like it or not._

I rolled my eyes. Typical Florence.

_That's all I've got to say now. I'll send you some more details when I get them. Oh, I almost forgot to say!_

There was a huge space before her next sentence.

_You're a lucky bitch for being seventeen. I swear to Merlin, those seventeen year old bastards apparating right into the Leaky Cauldron with bloody smirks on their faces like they own the world._

_Hm, sounds familiar. I wonder who that could be_, I thought sarcastically, already knowing who those bastards were.

_I'm sorry but, your apparition license is not something to show off to everyone so please, sit the fuck down._

I chuckled at Florence's anger.

_Hope you're having fun being seventeen and free! Can't wait till we're both able to do magic outside of Hogwarts. Well... I'm just waiting for my birthday which is soon, I assure you. Take care, love! —F.F._

Suddenly, I heard the door open and I immediately spun around. I saw Mrs. Potter holding a basket filled with clean, folded clothes. I rushed to her and took the basket, carrying it to my closet.

"Oh, that's very nice of you, Cassie. I was beginning to wonder if manners would ever exist in is house," Mrs. Potter said, glancing outside the open door and at James' closed bedroom.

I chuckled.

"You had your birthday last February, did you not?" she asked kindly, helping me sort out my clothes from the basket.

"Yes, I did," I replied.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to send you present, dear."

"Oh! It's all right, Mrs. Potter! You don't need to—"

"No, no, Cassie, of course, I need to," Mrs. Potter cut me off, shaking her head. "Now, just tell me what you want and I'll get it. Anything."

"Mrs. Potter, it's all fine, I swear," I said with a light laugh.

She sighed. "You won't tell me what you want, will you?"

"No, I won't."

"Then I'll just bake some sweets for the whole summer just for you, how does that sound?"

My whole face lit up. "That sounds wonderful, Mrs. Potter! Thank you so much!"

"Anything for you, dearie," she said with a warm smile.

After sorting through my clothes, Mrs. Potter stood up with the remained tees and trousers in the basket, probably owned by James and Sirius.

"Since you're seventeen, Cassie," Mrs. Potter said, giving me a weird look. "how come you're not apparating to the dining room or anywhere else in this house for that matter whenever you feel like it? James does it all the time." She grimaced, obviously irritated at this fact.

"I don't have a license yet so you need not worry about me doing such a thing," I said. "But even if I did, I wouldn't just apparate whenever and wherever I wanted to."

"Oh, if only James would listen to you."

"He wouldn't, Mrs. Potter," I said, chuckling.

"Sadly," she sighed. "Now, how come you don't have a license? If I remember correctly, Hogwarts provides a test for those who are already seventeen after the lessons, do they not?"

"They do," I nodded. "But I didn't go. My friend, Florence, wasn't seventeen yet so I decided to wait until she was seventeen and we could go together. Speaking of apparition lessons, Florence already signed us up for the test next month. Would you mind if I went?"

"Oh, go ahead, Cassie!" Mrs. Potter said delightedly.

I beamed at her.

"I know it's at the Ministry so I'll ask Charlus to bring you there," she continued. "Now, I have to give these to the boys. Merlin knows how much times they've asked me for their clothes."

After a goodbye, Mrs. Potter left my room. Still grinning, I sat down on the chair of my desk and started scribbling a note to send back to Florence.

_So, I'm just going to pretend you waited for my decision to come with you to the apparition test (which is what best friends should actually do, mind you, and not making decisions for them) and say that yes, Mrs. Potter allowed me to come with you and we can take our test! See you soon! Hopefully the Marauders aren't annoying you too much. You think I wouldn't know it's them who's annoying you? Fat chance, Flo, James and Sirius are out almost everyday to see Remus and Peter. Bye! —Cassie_

Smiling, I left the room with the letter, finding the Potters' family owl.

* * *

><p>I stared at the Atrium in the Ministry of Magic, thinking about the last few times I had been here. They were never good times either. Let's just say the Ministry of Magic and I never actually had good memories together. At least this would be my first normal memory with this place. Or so I thought.<p>

"Is Florence going to be here soon, or—"

"_Cassie, love_!"

I smiled at the screech and turned to Mr. Potter.

"That's her," I said.

Then I was tackled into a hug. After Florence released me, I took a good look on her and realized she hadn't changed much at all. Her bright red hair got longer though and I wondered if she ever cut it since it was already covering half of her back. She wore thick-rimmed electric blue glasses (I always wondered how many colors she had of her pair of glasses) and behind them were her usual wide and cheerful brown eyes.

"I missed you so much!" she exclaimed to me before turning to Mr. Potter. "Hello, sir!"

"Hello," Mr. Potter said warmly. "You must be Florence. It's very nice to meet you."

"You as well, Mr. Potter!" Florence said with a grin.

"Now, do you two know where you're going?"

"I do!" Florence said cheerfully. "I've received a letter directing me where to go for the test. Thank you for taking Cassie here, Mr. Potter."

"It was no problem," Mr. Potter said. "I do hope you both won't get lost around here. Are you sure you know your way? I could always bring you there."

"Oh, no! It's all fine with me, Mr. Potter. I wouldn't want to trouble you."

Mr. Potter still looked uncertain to leave.

"Mr. Potter, it's going to fine," I finally spoke. "If we get lost, we'll ask for directions. You're already late. You said so yourself a while ago!"

He sighed. "If you're sure," he said slowly.

Finally, he had left for his office and Florence and I were alone in the middle of the busy Atrium.

"You know where we're off, Flo?" I asked her.

"Nope," she said immediately. "I just remembered. I left the letter at home. But we still have about an hour to go before the test anyway! Mr. Potter comes here pretty early!"

I sighed, shaking my head at the redhead, wondering why the hell I believed her when she said she knew the directions.

"He comes here at this time everyday," I shrugged. "Nothing new."

"Another reason why I'm not leaning towards becoming an auror at the moment," she mumbled. "Waking up this early in the morning."

I rolled my eyes.

"You wouldn't like it either."

I chuckled. "Ah, well, waking up early is just one important part of becoming an auror. Just remember, that's sort of the easiest thing aurors do nowadays, seeing as they run after bad guys every day and do paperwork."

"Running after bad guys can be fun."

"Only for you because you have talent. I think you can just walk after a bad guy and you wouldn't let them get away, without even seeing you."

"It's a gift," Florence said smugly.

"How was your birthday anyway?" I asked. "Did you get the brownies I sent you?"

"Delicious, they were," she sighed, a dreamy look on her face.

"I take it you found them appetizing."

She nodded eagerly. "And the best part is, after getting that license, I'll be able to apparate to the kitchen to get water instead of walking there!"

I covered my face with my hand, lightly shaking me head. "Come on, Flo," I sighed. "Let's go ask for directions."

Turns out, finding our way in the Ministry of Magic was harder than we thought. Not many would stop to help us by giving us directions because most of them were either already doing work or running late. Because of this, I had to rely on Florence's memory which wasn't actually bad. Her memory was always good so I trusted the directions coming out of her mouth. Suddenly, Florence stopped walking and I almost bumped into her. Before I could ask her why she stopped, she started to run but not to the direction we were walking towards a few moments ago.

I followed her as she pushed through crowds in the floor we were in. I didn't know where we were at the moment so Florence and I needed to stick together. Unfortunately, even _that_ was getting hard.

"Jack! _Jack_!"

I almost fell over at the call of Florence. Jack? Did she mean Jack Daley? But no, Florence couldn't distract him with her foolish stories _now_. He was probably working! I had to stop her!

"Flo, wait!" I called, not realizing how loud I was until I saw a few workers send me annoyed looks. "Flo, hold on! Stop!"

"Jack! Jack, wait!"

Groaning, I slowed down, unable to run any further. Finally, I found her leaning over Jack's desk as he flattened his back on the wall of his open office.

"Flo, he's working!" I hissed.

"Yeah, kid, I'm working," he said, sounding annoyed. "Can't you see the papers I'm supposed to sort?"

"But I just—"

"Flo, please, let the New York thing go," I whispered. "He's probably not the Jack you met."

"He is, Cassie," she hissed back. "You know that I never forget a face!"

Then her own face turned pale as she stared at someone behind me. I slowly turned around, wondering who she was looking at. Then, I saw a tall boy with dark brown hair under a winter hat. His bright green eyes stared wide at Florence as well.

"Holy shit," the tall boy gasped upon seeing the redhead.

"Jesse, leave," Jack snapped.

"Jack, what is she—"

"I said _leave_, Jess!"

"Jack, _no_! I want to know what the hell she's doing here!"

"Jess," Florence said, still in shock as she stared at the boy.

The boy, Jess, turned to look at her again.

"You're Florence, aren't you?" he whispered.

Florence nodded silently.

"Oh, dear, what the hell is happening," Jess whispered to himself, take his winter cap off, revealing his flat brown hair that ran his fingers through.

"Jess, she's not—"

"Jack, yes, she is! Why didn't you tell me?" Jess snapped at the auror.

"I didn't think it was her!"

"Well, it's definitely her!"

Silence took over. Florence still stared at Jess like he was from outer space. Jack had his face burried in his hands, muttering to himself.

"Hey," I broke the silence. "Jess or whatever your name is, please, tell me what is going on."

"I met your friend in New York," he said.

"He knows about Spencer, Cassie," Florence suddenly spoke.

I gasped. "He's the boy you—"

"I don't know anything," Jess snapped.

"Of course you do!" Florence exclaimed. "Please, just tell us what happened after I left!"

"That's the thing, _you left_!" Jess shot back. "Do you really expect me to just speak to you of what exactly happened after you left like we're friends?"

"A-Aren't we friends?" Florence stuttered.

"No. We are most definitely not friends."

That must have stung for Florence. The poor girl has been asking for Jess since Jack was assigned to guard Hogwarts.

"But—"

"You just left without a single warning with my family's secret."

"It wasn't like I was going to tell anyone! I'm a witch too!"

"I still barely know you! Do you really want to know what happened when you left? _Fine_! Teddy went crazy and kicked us out of the house! That's the last I heard from her and her family. We never saw Spencer again and Jenna was fucking mess. Did you seriously think I would keep in touch with Spencer and his family after Teddy found out that we almost _killed_ him?"

"Does she know what you are?" Florence said uncertainly.

"Of course not," Jess snorted. "I wouldn't allow it."

I watched Florence as she asked more questions about Spencer and his family. I had listened to intently, wanting to know as much information I could get. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack Daley looking through different files in my drawer. Out of curiosity, I approached him.

"Jack, what are you doing?" I asked.

"My job," he grunted.

"Sorting files? I thought you were an auror."

"I am an auror," Jack said. "This is part of being an auror. Did you think we had no paperwork?"

Florence and Jess stopped their conversation to listen to ours.

"What papers do you sort exactly?" I asked.

"Well, I'm currently sorting the profiles of those murdered by Death Eaters or You-Know-Who himself. It's how we get the number of people killed and we compare them each year or sometimes, if the deaths are a lot, each month. We always have a goal. It's like we say by next month, the death toll would go down by this much and so on."

"Interesting," I murmured, an idea entering my head. "And you're saying you have the profile of _every_ person You-Know-Who killed? Muggle or not?"

"Every one," Jack nodded. "Just basic information though like names, birthdays, date of deaths, where they're burried—"

"_Where they're burried?_" I interrupted him with a gasp, eyes wide.

"Yep."

"Cassie, what are you thinking?" Florence asked me, a crease appearing in between her eyebrows.

"My dream, Flo," I whispered. "My mother... She was there..."

I slowly turned to Jack.

"Where are the deaths in 1970?" I immediately asked.

"I don't—"

But I didn't let him finish because I spotted the box that was labelled 1970-1971. I ran over to it and took all of the used parchment inside, going through them one by one. There were many names I recognized. These names were all over the Daily Prophet before. The parchment for each person was very old and I held it so delicately, afraid it would fall to the floor and crumble.

"You're not allowed to touch that!" Jack said, but he didn't make any move to take the papers from me.

"Are these in alphabetical order?" I snapped.

He shrugged at me. Scowling, I assumed that it _was_ in alphabetical order and immediately tried to find H. Finally, I found the group of people killed with their last names starting with a letter H. Then, I finally found her. Unlike the most of the people in the bunch I was holding, my mother's paper had her picture on it. I wondered how they managed to get a picture of my mother when she was alive. It was moving as well. The picture clipped on the paper was of her smiling joyfully at the camera in front of the front door of her home. She would even laugh once in a while or wink at the camera. I noticed that the photo had been ripped. I felt the ripped side of the photo, wondering where the other part had gone.

"Cassie?" Florence said, her voice shaking a bit. "How come you never react when it's the day of your mother's death?"

"Do you think I would want to remember such a day?" I said coldly.

"Are you saying you don't remember?" Jack suddenly asked.

"I'm saying I don't want to remember and I didn't. It's as simple as that. If you don't want it in your head, erase it. I've no intention of remembering that day anyway," I said in a kinder tone, feeling guilty for snapping.

"Well, reading that will make you remember," Jack said.

"I don't care," I said. "I'm going to read this. I don't care if I remember. I want to know where she is."

I started to read the fading ink on the old parchment.

_Name: Marisa Hunter_

_Date of death: September 14, 1970_

_Killed by: Unknown_

_Reason for murder: Unknown_

_Location of burial: Parish church of Saint Anne, Old Clifford, Watford, Hertfordshire_

"Hertfordshire," I mumbled, memories flooding in my head at the mention of that county. "She was buried in our old village. How could I have never realized this?"

After one last lingering look at my mums moving picture, I pressed two fingers to my lips and brought them down to touched the black and white photograph.

"Come on, Flo," I said, dropped all the parchment back inside the box. "We're getting our license today."

I left the office, dragging Florence with me without a goodbye to Jess and Jack. They had information about Spencer Abrams but I let go of him already, just like I did with James before. I didn't need anymore information from him. Sure he had his past completely wiped out but he could start a new life now. A life where he can meet new and normal people without getting his memory wiped again. We were much better off without each other. He would just cause trouble for me and I, for him. In order for me to truly let go of him, Jess and Jack needed to go as well.

I wasn't planning on confronting Jack ever again. Even if Florence insisted on it. Right now, I was focused on my mother and what that dream meant.

* * *

><p>"We are going to Hertfordshire," I said after walking out of the Minitry of Magic.<p>

"_Now_?" Florence hissed. "Cassie, we just got our licenses. Don't you think we should practice a bit before going long distance?"

"We both passed, didn't we?" I said. "It's fine. You don't have to come. But I have got to go. Flo, I haven't felt this way in years. I know that I have to this _right now_."

"Do you really think you're ready for this, Cassie?" Florence asked me quietly.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I said, pulling my wand out.

"Whoa, whoa, you're not going there alone, love," Florence said with a chuckle, gripping my arm.

Smiling at her, I visualized my old place in Hertfordshire. I felt the need to get there as soon as possible and suddenly, the air rushed out of my lungs, my feet leaving the rough ground and I felt like I was going to pass out until I breathed in fresh air again and my feet landed on grass. I opened my eyes and gasped at the sight of my old street.

Everything looked so different. The road was smooth and newly painted, no longer looking very rough and the cracks and bumps on them before were gone. The houses had changed as well. My neighbors painted over their gates and walls. New cars were parked and it was also unusually quiet. I remembered complaining to my parents about the old married couple next door who never stopped arguing. I wondered if they still lived here. I wondered if they were still alive...

There was also that one man who lived right in front of us. Father loathed him. I never understood why. I remembered him to be tall and he was as old as my mother. He would never miss the chance to say hi to me and my mother. He loathed Father right back. I never really thought about why they did. It didn't seem to make any sense.

Slowly, I turned around and faced an old two-story house. Unlike the road and all the other houses in the street, this house was uncared for. The white paint that I has once known was already gray and I could even see cobwebs on the dusty windows and the old mahogany door. The front yard was obviously not cared for as well. The grass was yellow and tall. Though it wasn't as tall as me, it was still hard to move around. All the curtains behind the windows were closed so I couldn't see the inside.

"This was where you lived?" Florence whispered, staring up at the house.

"Yes, but I'm not going in there," I said, shaking my head. "Never again..."

"Then where are we going?"

"To our parish church."

I led the way, turning my back at the house I once lived in. The parish church wasn't too far away from my street and during my walk there, I didn't look back once.

Finally, we arrived and it was a very good thing that there was no one there. We didn't need awkward questions right now. I made my way to the back where the graveyard was. Tombstones spread throughout the backyard of the church. I didn't know where to start looking. I decided to start on the left, passing by tombstones with names I did not recognize. All I wanted to see was my mother's. Hers was all I needed. Suddenly, I heard a footsteps and immediately, I head shot up.

I looked around and saw only Florence who was helping me look for my mother's tombstone. I frowned, knowing that those footsteps couldn't have possibly been hers since they sounded heavier and more distant. Then, I saw a cloaked figure on the other end of the graveyard. I could barely see his hooded face since we were so far away from each other. He was staring down at a tombstone, completely still. He held a bouquet of roses on one hand. I watched him with narrow eyes as he finally moved and set the roses down by the tombstone.

Then, his head suddenly shot up quick and his eyes met mine. Terrified, a small scream escaped my mouth and I fell back, my bum hitting the soft the grass and my hands holding me up.

"Oh, my Lord, Cassie!" Florence exclaimed worriedly as she rushed to me immediately. "Are you all right? Is everything fine?" She finally reached me and knelt down, feeling my forehead for any signs of sickness.

"I'm okay, don't worry about it," I said, staring at her.

"Are you sure?" she said uncertainly. "You're so pale!"

"I'm fine, Flo," I said, nodding. I turned my head to the direction where I had seen the cloaked man. But he was gone!

"He— He was just—" I gasped, wide-eyed at the spot where the man was. The roses were still there though. I wondered...

"What are two young lasses doing here when it's almost sundown?"

My legs immediately went into action, making me stand and my hand darted to the pocket of my jeans where my wand lay. Florence looked so shocked, her hand on her heart as she took in deep breaths. We both stared at the cloaked man I had seen before, placing flowers on a tombstone. His hood was down now revealing a pair of icy blue eyes and a tuft of bright blonde hair. How did he get here so fast _behind us_ when he was standing on the other end of the graveyard just a few seconds ago?

"How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself!" he said cheerily. "I'm Tommy Hansen. But I go with just Tommy. And you?"

Tommy Hansen... The name had sounded so familiar. It rung a bell in my head but I didn't know why. Then a look of shock appeared on his face.

"Oh, dear, do my eyes deceive me?" he gasped. "Would you happen to be Cassidy Hunter? Daughter of an old resident here, Marisa Hunter?"

My eyes widened. He knew my name. How the hell... I felt Florence's elbow digging into my rib. I glanced at her and she had a terrified look on her face.

"Y-Yes," I said shakily.

Florence shot me a disbelievingly look. Then I realized why. There was something suspicious about this man and she knew this. How could I have just told him my name so easily?

"How delightful!" Tommy Hansen said, clasping his hands together. "Are you here to visit Marisa's grave?"

I glanced at the tombstone he had been looking down on before he came to talk to us.

"Ah, yes, that is hers," Tommy said with a sad smile. "I go here almost everyday to visit her. She was a great woman. We had been friends. Very good friends. Her husband never liked me though. That was sad because I wanted to get to know him more."

Then something in my head clicked. Of course! This was our neighbor! Mother used to always invite him in the house but Father never liked him. Mother and him were great friends. Suddenly, I didn't feel too afraid of him anymore. I remembered him keeping me company when I had no one to be with at home. He always wondered why I never really wanted to play. I guess I was never a child who liked to exhaust his or herself from playing games with dolls all the time. I also usually liked to stay alone though most kids would bully me for that in school.

I always felt that he was like a second father since my own father was never usually home. There was something in the way he looked at my mum too. Something that made him do every favor she asked him to do. He always was so pleased to see Mother so happy, especially when he had been involved in her happiness.

"Of course, I remember you now!" I said happily. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm doing fine!" he said. "Thank you very much for asking. You haven't changed a bit, Cassidy. You're still the playful little girl I once knew!"

I frowned. Playful? Didn't he remember anything about me at all...

"So would you like to see your mother's grave, Cassie?" he asked, changing the subject hastily.

"Yes, of course!"

Tommy led the way and I followed him. Florence walked beside me but she still looked absolutely terrified and I could here her trying to speak as quietly as possible.

"There is something about him," she said through gritted teeth. "Cassie, don't trust him."

Florence didn't know who this man was, that was all. If she knew that he was very old company when I was a child and I practally grew up with him, then she would understand why I was being so nice to him. If he were anyone else, I wouldn't be as nice.

"Here we are!" Tommy said, standing before the tombstone with the roses laid on the ground in front of it.

I stared blankly at it. There it was. Her names as carefully engraved on the gray stone. Below it was her date of birth and the date of her death. I felt like how I was in Azkaban. All feeling of happiness was sucked out of me. Looking at her tombstone just opened my eyes to her death even more. I knew she was dead, don't get me wrong, but seeing her tombstone just made me feel how completely alone I was now. If she were alive, she would tell me that she would always be here with me. I wished she was.

I read the quote on the tombstone.

_I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad._

"That's a line of a song," I croaked out, kneeling down on the dirt and tracing the lines on the carved song line.

It was so familiar yet I don't remember where I heard it before. Perhaps, I heard it from her. I missed her so much. I always tried to keep her from entering my head but now I couldn't seem to do that. She was such a lovely mother. Who would be cruel enough to kill her? I promised myself that I would find out who killed her and they will not know what revenge is until they meet me.

"Ah, yes, she loved musicals before and singing," Tommy said, his voice quivering a bit. I frowned at this.

"Do you know the song?"

"N-No, I don't remember. I'm sorry," he stuttered. "It's been a long time. It's hard to think about her."

I nodded, agreeing to that statement one hundred percent.

"Cassie, we should go," Florence said stiffly.

"Nonesense!" Tommy said. "You must stay over at my house for a cuppa! We could catch up on one another, Cassie!"

I turned to looked at him. All I wanted was to see my mum's grave. I hadn't planned to do anything else besides that. Now that I've seen her grave, I actually wanted to go home. I didn't inform Mr. Potter of my decision to visit my mum. He would worry if I didn't get back to the Potter Manor before sundown. But the sun as setting already. He's probably worrying right now.

"For old times' sake, Cassie," Tommy said. "We might not see each other another time."

"I guess a few minutes of tea won't hurt," I said slowly, wondering if my choice was right. Florence obviously thought this was the wrong choice because her eyes widened at me.

"Wonderful!" Tommy exclaimed delightedly. "My house isn't far away. In fact, it's right in front of your old house, if you remember."

"I do," I answered with a nod.

Tommy led the way. Florence and I didn't speak on the way there. She was obviously annoyed at me but I was getting annoyed at her as well. Tommy was a childhood friend. Even if I haven't seen him for so many years and we've gone out of touch, I still knew him and he was good friend of my mums as well. I couldn't say no to his offer of tea. It was only tea after all.

He unlocked the door of his house which was so familiar to me and I actually felt like I was home. I avoided looking over at my real home which was directly in front of this house. When I was finally inside, I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that I wouldn't be able to see my old creepy house from in here. Tommy led us to the kitchen where we made us sit down. He looked so nervous though which was weird. He opened every drawer in the kitchen as if he didn't know where his own cups and saucers were. When he finally found them, he grabbed two pairs and set them on the table. Even heating the water, he looked so lost. I didn't understand what was happening to him. Perhaps he was just old.

Finally, after quite a while of him preparing tea, the three of us were all sitting around the circular table.

"So, where are you living now, Cassie?" Tommy started a conversation.

"I was adopted by a family," I answered.

"Where?"

I didn't feel comfortable sharing the Potters' address to him. I knew that it wasn't my address to share.

"Not to far away from here," I said vaguely. "A different county, of course."

"Right..." he said quietly sounding quite annoyed, then he turned back to his cheery self. "What about school?"

"I go to a boarding school now."

"How wonderful! Do you have any extra-curricular activities or hobbies? Your mother always loved to sing. Her voice was purely magical!"

"I don't sing," I said, shaking my head.

"No?" he said with a slight frown.

I shook my head once more.

"Why did you never come to me after your family passed away, Cassie?" he asked. "I could have offered you a home. Even now, you're welcome to stay with me."

"I'm good with my family right now, Tommy, but thank you," I said with a smile.

"We would have had lots of fun together," he said sadly.

"But I barely know you," I blurted out, immediately cursing myself mentally for sounding so rude.

"Oh, you knew me before," he said. "We would always play together here. Melissa would drop you off when she went off to work. I even have a picture of her here. Would you like to see?"

"Of course!" I said.

Then I frowned deeply. I never played in here, only visit with my mum. She never had work either. Only my Father had work. And did he just call my mum... Melissa?

"Ah, here it is," so-called Tommy said slowly, reaching for the top of his desk. There were framed pictures all right, but he wasn't reaching for any of them. There was a thin stick that was almost camouflaging atop the brown wood. The moment his fingers touched the stick, I immediately stood up, whipping my want out.

"_Stupefy_!" I screamed.

But Tommy was too fast. Before the red ball of light hit him, he swiftly turned around and blocked it without a word. He sent another spell at me, but I ducked before it hit and again, another spell came towards me, this time hitting me straight in the chest. Thin, long ropes suddenly came out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around me tight. They were too tight, it was getting hard to breath and my eyes were bulging out of their sockets.

"Poor little Cassie," he cackled. "Did you really think you could—"

Then out of nowhere, a ball of light hit him in the chest. I turned to see Florence were her wand out as well, eyes filled with rage. Tommy fell back, paralyzed. Florence had been one of the best in Defense Against the Dark Arts in learning nonverbal spells. I was one of the worst, no surprises there.

Florence, angrily kicked a chair out of her way towards Tommy and when she finally reached him, she grabbed the collar of his shirt, bringing his face near hers.

"No one, I repeat, _no one _does that to my best friend," she snarled.

She let go of his collar, making his head fall and bang on the floor. Florence turned to me and swiped the air with her wand. The ropes were cut and I fell to the floor in all fours, breathing heavily, in and out. Florence's immobilizing spell on Tommy didn't last very long because he was able to reach for his wand again.

"_Cru—_"

"_No! Silencio!_" I screamed.

Tommy tried to scream in frustration but nothing came out of his mouth but silence. I managed to flatten my stomach on the floor as he sent a spell at me, making it go over my whole body. I raised my wand, standing up hastily.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

He blocked it effortlessly and send a spell at me that made threw me back. Pain shot through my spine when my back hit a door which left a large crack. Black dots were everywhere I looked and my head was dizzy. A shelf near the door shook and a glass container fell on the floor beside me. A smelly bubbly green substance spread across the floor and I scooted furthur away from it. Florence ran and kneeled in front of me.

"We're running, Cassie. We have to go quick. My spell on him won't last. Cassie, let's go!"

"_Hunter_!"

My eyes widened when I saw him appear and with a scream, I grabbed Florence's shoulders and pushed her body and mine to the side, making the spell shoot through the door instead.

"_That is it_!" Florence screamed. She stood up with her wand and sent a spell at Tommy.

As usual, he blocked this with a cocky smirk which got Florence even angrier. Dizzily, I stood up with my wand and shot a stinging jinx while Tommy was distracted. It hit his arm making him gasp in pain as he clutched it.

"_Engorgio Skullus_," Florence hissed.

The spell hit him straight in the head and it immediately started to swell. He screamed in pain, clutching it with both hands and kneeling down. Florence marched up to him, clutched his blonde hair and pulled it back so she could see his face.

"Who are you?" she whispered dangerously.

"You trusted the wrong people, Florence Flanagan," Tommy whispered back but I gasped at his voice.

His accent was gone, replaced by an American one. I saw Florence's grip on his hair weakening because it was slowly growing longer and messier. Blonde was turning black and his face slowly stared to form into a thinner, bony figure. His eyes grew wider and lighter and I nearly slapped myself, not believing that what I was seeing was true.

Because on laying on the floor with a swelling head was the one and only, Jack Daley.

* * *

><p><em>Jack Daley? How in the world did he end up in Cassie's childhood home? And since when was a he a blonde named Tommy?<em>

_"Kid, I think you mistook me for someone else..." -Jack Daley, Libe To Die, Chapter Twenty-Nine, Under The Weather_

* * *

><p><strong>HEY GUYS! I have to admit this chapter was especially hard to write. If you don't like it, it's perfectly fine with me and I do expect some of you to find it bad, especially with the struggles I had with this chapter.<strong>

**I am so so sorry for being so late in updating but remember that I am using my iPad to update and it's really hard to type in one whole chapter in here. Also, I would like to suggest that you only check on updates on my story during Fridays or the weekends because school started this week!**

**Review if you can! They really make my day and I would love to hear some suggestions or criticisms that would really help my story! If you can, please check out the characters in my profile and I'd love to hear feedback about that as well. You are all so amazing for sticking to my story even with the annoying update schedule! You, readers, are the only ones who keep me going with the fic!**

**EDIT: btw, the song in the dream of Cassie is from the play Sound of Music and it is called Favorite Things. Like the canon characters of this story, I do not own it.**

** Till next time! Xxx**


	31. Adventure To Muggleland

**Adventure To Muggle-land**

_Rule #26: It would never hurt to just ask._

* * *

><p><strong>JAMES<strong>

"One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!" Sirius chanted.

In seconds, I managed to place my thumb on his, tight enough to keep it from moving.

"Well, _fuck you,_" Sirius murmured, clearly annoyed as he pulled his hand back to his side.

Shaking with laughter, I stood up from my bed and walked to the fireplace on the corner of my room.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked with a frown.

"Just calling mum for some food," I muttered.

I knelt down in front of the fireplace and grabbed the pot of floo powder on the floor. I slowly put my head in and threw in a pinch of the powder as I shouted, "Potter Manor kitchen!"

I felt the familiar spinning sensation and I caught a glance of some of the other rooms in the house that were connected to the floo network here. People may call me lazy for doing this but there's no reason for me to walk down the staircase from the fourth bloody floor to the kitchen just to get some food. I would call Julie in but mum's told me not to call any of the house elves because she's making them all work today.

Finally, I reached the fireplace in our kitchen. Don't blame us for having one in the kitchen all right. Dad and I are very lazy people and mum was tired of us bursting into the kitchen in the middle of the day just for us to get some food. I honestly thought floo powder wasn't going to make a change since my head would just pop in the fireplace out of nowhere and I might scare her brains out.

"Mum!" I called immediately, the second I saw the freshly polished counters and tall stools of our kitchen. Weirdly, she was nowhere to be found. "Mum, are you here?"

Where in the world could she have gone? She rarely ever left the kitchen if she didn't have work. What a strange day it's been...

Then I heard a door slam onto a wall from my own room making me pull my head out of the fireplace and hit my head on the brick corner.

"_JAMES_!" my mother screamed.

"_Sweet mother of Merlin, woman!_" I said in pain, rubbing my aching head. "My _God_, does _anyone_ ever knock in this house?"

"What's going on, Mrs. Potter?" Sirius asked my mum with a frown, not even sparing a glance in my direction.

"Uhm, _hello_?" I said in irritation. "There is a child in pain in this room."

"Stop being a wuss, Prongs."

"Boys, did you hear Cassie come home today?" Mum asked looking extremely worried.

"No, why?" I asked, forming a crease in between my eyebrows. "She's taking her test today, isn't she?"

"Charlus just sent me a letter from the Minsitry," she said sounding hysterical. "She's not there, James! She's not there! She's supposed to wait for Charlus and they'd come home together but it was confirmed that she's not in the Ministry anymore and her test finished _two hours ago!_"

"Mum, breathe," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm sure she's doing fine. Now, how's dinner?"

I could have sworn I saw smoke coming out of her nostrils as she glared daggers at me.

"All right, all right," I said, wide-eyed as I put my hands up in surrender. "Dinner's not doing well, not the first time. You know your cooking can be a bit off sometimes, I completely understand."

I saw Sirius sigh from the corner of my eye.

"Forgive him, Mrs. Potter. I don't think he completely understands how serious this whole situation is... Hah... _Serious_," he finished with a small snort.

"You know, I don't think you do either," I told him.

"_Enough_, boys!" Mum screamed, looking like she's about to rip her hair out.

"Mum," I said with an exasperated sigh. "I'm sure she's all right. You're always worrying about everything. Tell you what. Sirius and I will go there right now and help solve some things and we'll come home with dad and Cassie and we can all have dinner and fill my empty stomach that has been empty for _hours_!"

"James, don't—"

But I already marched up to Sirius, grabbed his arm and apparated us both to the Ministry Atrium.

* * *

><p>"Do you have any fours?"<p>

"Go fish, bitch."

"_Dammit_."

"_Sirius, James, what in the world are you doing_?" Dad shouted when he entered his office and seeing us playing with the cards he hid under the first drawer of his desk.

"Remus taught us this Muggle game played with these peculiar-looking sheets of hard parchment," Sirius said.

"Cards, aren't they?" I asked.

"Oh, yes, that's what they're called," Sirius murmured.

"You two came here to help and you _will_ help," Dad said, glaring at us.

"All right, all right, we'll find her. Don't worry," I said, setting my cards down and standing up.

"I feel completely useless but I know you boys would know her better than I do."

"We'll try our best, Mr. Potter," Sirius said.

We both left the office and I actually did not know where to go to first. There were still quite a number of people in the Ministry but most of them were packing up and leaving or apparating out. It was probably seven in the evening already and my stomach was empty. I needed to find Cassie to fill it up. All right, let's do this.

"Where did she go last?" I asked Sirius.

"Didn't she take an apparition test?" he said.

"I'm sure they've already talked to the people who worked there," I said with a sigh. "How else would they have known when she left?"

"Ah, well, I've got nothing."

"She just doesn't seem like the type to leave like that," I murmured. "Leaving without any notice, that is."

"But she just did."

"Exactly why it's so odd," I said. "Something made her leave without any notice right after her test. It must have been pretty important since she didn't even tell Dad and I'm pretty sure she knows how bloody worried Dad would be when he won't find her in the Ministry anymore."

As we walked through the hallways of the offices for all the Aurors in the Ministry, I noticed that we were now the only ones here. Everyone must have already gone home. Sighing, I felt my stomach grumble and I clutched it hopelessly.

"I am going to die in pain and distress!" I moaned. "Tell mum I love her! Goodbye cruel world! Goodbye—"

"James, shut your drama!" Sirius snapped. "Do you here that?"

I closed my mouth and frowned at what Sirius was making me here. I assumed just a few moments ago that we were the only ones here now since the entire floor was empty and there were no sounds coming from the offices except...

There a small tapping sound that was so soft I almost didn't hear it. My eyes widened and I tried to listen harder at the tapping sound. I didn't know why this intrigued me so much. It was just a tapping sound. No big deal. Why was I trying to find where it was coming from then? I slowly took a few steps towards the sound. After many steps forward, the tapping got louder and I took quicker steps towards it, turning at corners and narrowing my eyes at every open office we passed. When the tapping was at its loudest, I stopped in front of an empty office, knowing for sure that the tapping was coming from the office beside it. The tapping suddenly stopped and a frown immediately formed itself on my face.

Swiftly, I took a step forward and stuck my head in the office where I thought the tapping was coming from. I was surprised to see it empty, a few folders and parchment scattered all over the floor and unsigned documents on the table but there didn't seem to be anyone human in there.

"How odd," I muttered before pulling my head out. "I could've sworn..."

"Come on, James," Sirius said.

Shrugging, I turned from the office completely then I heard Sirius shout a spell and a yell. I immediately turned back to the office and saw a boy who look our age or a little older maybe. He was hanging upside-down with something invisible holding him up by his ankle. A winter hat lay on the floor right below where his head and his straight chocolate brown hair were levitating.

"Dude, get me down!" the boy yelled, his accent obviously indicating that he's foreign.

"Who are you?" Sirius hissed, his wand still out.

"My name is Jess!" he said, flailing his arms around like a weirdo. "Now, come on, get me down already!"

"This little bastard was hiding behind that giant swivelly chair over there," Sirius explained to me. "I saw him pop his head up when you turned."

"Your name is Jess?" I said, raising my eyebrows at the boy. "Now, _Jess_, will you care to explain what the bloody fuck you're doing here in the Ministry when everyone's already left?"

"I'm waiting for my friend!" he replied, sounding irritated. "He told me he had a meeting and for me to stay here. He never came back. I've no idea where he went because none of the other aurors know either. It's like he just disappeared! There was no meeting either."

I frowned. "Wait, someone else is missing too?" I asked.

"Yeah, why?" Jess said. "Isn't he the only one? Is there more? What's going on? Anyway, why are you two here too? You don't look old enough to be aurors."

"We're actually trying to find someone," Sirius said.

"Who?" Jess asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Do you know Cassie Hunter?" I asked. It wouldn't hurt to ask him if he's seen her. He might have.

"Yeah," he said, his eyes widened at us. "Don't tell me..."

"Yeah, she's gone missing."

"Why isn't anyone looking for her then?" Jess said, still wide-eyed.

"What are we? Pieces of shit in the toilet?" Sirius raised my eyebrows at him.

"No, I meant aurors," Jess rolled his eyes.

"I don't think dad reported her missing yet. If he can't find her and we can't either, we're going to have to though."

"Why don't you then?"

"We like taking matters into our own hands."

Jess rolled his eyes once again.

"Just tell us where she is," Sirius snapped.

"I don't know!" Jess exclaimed.

I narrowed my eyes at him then looked around the scattered parchment on the floor. I saw one particular black and white moving picture that caught my attention pretty quickly. I bent down to get it and frowned, the minute I saw who the moving lady was. Weirdly, she looked very much like the girl Sirius and I were trying to find. Not exactly the same though. She merely reminded me of Cassie Hunter. Maybe to was indeed her appearance. Maybe it was just the way she smiled or how her eyes were so wide and innocent.

"Oi, do you know who this is?" I asked Jess as I stared at the picture.

"Well, I can't exactly see what you're looking at because I'm fucking _upside-down_."

"Sirius, put him down."

With a groan, Sirius muttered the counter curse and Jess fell on the floor, cursing in pain. He stood up, muttering angrily to himself, and approached me.

"That's the picture that blonde girl, Cassie, was looking at," Jess muttered.

"Wait, _she was here_?" I widened my eyes at him.

He nodded, still staring at the picture.

"Her friend and I met in New York," he explained. "She knew the auror who worked here, Jack. She met him too but Jack didn't seem to remember her. I came in here and saw her and we talked a bit. Cassie found her mother's death file, I think..."

"She _what_?" Sirius and I exclaimed.

"Her mother's death file," Jess repeated. "I don't think she remembered when her mother died and she didn't know where she was buried. I think after reading the file, she said something like 'why didn't I realize this' or something like that..."

"Where's this file?" I immediately asked.

"Over there, I think," he said, pointing to the open drawer where the messed up pieces of parchment were coming from.

Kneeling down in front of it, I looked through the drawer, realizing it was by alphabetical order but some papers were already disorganized. Sirius helped me look through the files and it didn't take long for us to finally find it.

"_Aha_!" Sirius said in delight.

He pulled out a pretty old piece of parchment with already fading ink. I noticed a pin holding nothing to the parchment. I picked up the black and white photo Cassie was apparently looking at according to Jess. I used the pin to pin in back to the parchment and I knew that the girl in the picture must have been Cassie's mother, seeing as they looked so similar to each other.

"Herfordshire," I muttered after reading the information on the parchment.

"She really wanted to know where her mom was buried," Jess said. "Then she just left with Florence, saying they would be getting their license today."

I looked up from the parchment.

"I think I might know where she is," I mumbled before dropping the file and dragging Sirius out of the office.

"_Wait!_"

I turned around to see Jess staring at us with an extremely worried expression.

"If— If you happen to see Jack, please tell him to come back," he said desperately.

I nodded and started to walk away again. Then, our problem was, how were we supposed to get to Hertfordshire?

* * *

><p>"James!"<p>

I looked up from my fingers which I played with while waiting for my Dad to come back.

"Oh, dad, thank Merlin! Did you get it?"I asked, standing up.

"I got it," he nodded. "It leaves in five minutes. Get ready. I cannot express how thankful I am for your effort, James. You too, Sirius. I know you two and Cassie aren't exactly best friends and I appreciate the fact that you're helping me with this without making a whole scene in front of the whole of the wizarding world of Britain."

Yep, that is exactly what was going to happen if we reported Cassie missing. A scene. That's not exactly a good thing either.

"It's no problem," I said. "Sirius and I will go find her. You go back to mum. She's been worried."

"I can imagine," Dad muttered.

I snorted.

"Be safe, son," he said before hurrying out of his office and he was gone after a loud crack.

I turned to Sirius.

"You ready, mate?" I asked him.

"You know I wouldn't miss out on an adventure," Sirius grinned, then his grin faltered a bit. "Wait, you're _sure_ she's at this village?"

"One hundred percent sure, Padfoot," I said. "It's the only place she would be right now. If she's not, then we tried. We've got to get this over with so I can have that dinner I've been looking forward to the whole day."

The old shoe that Dad had dropped off on his table before he left started to light up and Sirius and I immediately let our fingers touch the old leather and I was lifted up by nothing and we both started to spin. I closed my eyes tight, not exactly used to the sensation of using a portkey. Finally, I felt my feet hit the solid ground and grass tickled my skin. I stood up, looking around where Dad had sent us to.

We were in a graveyard, no doubt about that. Tombstones were scattered across the ground and there was no one here except for us which I thanked Merlin for, seeing as I didn't really want to deal with Muggles at the moment. I tried to remember the place where Cassie's mum was buried in. It was a church, I remembered. Maybe we were here. But there was no Cassie...

"Where is she?" I asked Sirius quietly.

"I really have no idea..." Sirius replied.

I started to walk around, reading each name on the tombstone. One of them had to have a name Hunter on it. Sirius followed me silently. The further we got, I noticed one particular tombstone with freshly picked flowers laid right in front of it. Frowning, I took a few steps towards it and tried to read the name engraved on it. It was difficult becuase the tombstone was old and the carving wasn't that obvious anymore, making me kneel down and squint just to read the name.

_Marisa Hunter_, it said.

This must be it. Cassie must have been here. There were fresh flowers on the ground in front of it. She must have conjured these. She was seventeen already after all, wasn't she? I noticed that there was a strip of parchment that bind the roses. I looked closer at the tiny and messy scrawl written on it.

_Soon, I will join you. We will be reunited once again. I will always love you. -H_

"What the fuck, is Cassie _dying_?" Sirius suddenly exclaimed from behind me.

"Cassie didn't write this, you dolt," I rolled my eyes. "What teenager would even write like this? '_Soon, I will join you. We will be reunited once again.' _I honestly cannot imagine anyone _our _age writing like this..."

"Then who the hell wrote this then, hm?" Sirius shot back.

"It says H..."

"Lovely! _H_! Of course, I know who H is, who wouldn't?"

"Swallow up your sarcasm, Padfoot. What we're doing is serious here."

"Hah, you're _doing_ _me._"

Then he collapsed in fits of giggles.

No matter how much I wanted to get all of this over with, I laughed a bit too. Think about dinner, James! _Dinner_!

"_Oi! What are you kids doing here? Messing up the graveyard again, eh?_"

Wide-eyed, Sirius and I turned to the church where an angry old man stood in front of it.

"_I'll catch you today, damn kids_!"

"Fuck!" I hissed, immediately standing up.

"James, run!" Sirius said in panic.

We both ran towards the end of the graveyard, away from the church. It was just like how we ran during our Quidditch training except this time, someone was actually after us. I looked back once in a while, only seeing the old man walking briskly with his cane. He was much faster than I expected. I didn't know how big this graveyard was but it was pretty big since we've been running for a while now and I still couldn't see the end. I was getting tired, I could feel it. My legs were getting weaker and I already had a side stitch.

Finally, I saw the gate that separated the graveyard from the roads. Extremely sweaty and tired, I still managed to hold on to the metal and lift myself up, climbing the gate. Sirius was right beside me but he was much quicker. I saw him swing his legs over the gate and he fell the rest of the way down, landing with a grunt. I was about to do the same until the old man grabbed my foot.

"_Shit_!" I hissed.

"I got you now, damn kid!" the old man cackled.

Desperately, I tried to shake my leg out of his grip but his hand was too tightly clasped around my ankle.

"Get your filthy hand off my leg!" I said in frustration with one final violent shake.

Thankfully, I hit his wrist pretty hard too which caused him to let go and I immediately swung my legs over the gate, no matter how bloody tired I already was. I fell the rest of the way down and I landed on both feet before stumbling forward and tumbling once on the grass.

"Come on, James, let's go!" Sirius urged, pulling me up to my feet.

I nodded and we both started to run again, following wherever the road we were running on led to. I could here the old man's angry and desperate calls from behind but I didn't dare look back, fearing that he'd suddenly pop up behind us and scare my brains out of my skull. We passed house after house, still running. We only started to slow down when we couldn't hear the old man anymore. Finally, we stopped and I felt like I was about to pass out at any second. I obviously lacked practice in running. Summer definitely stuffed me up. It was my first time running this fast since we practiced Quidditch in school.

Sirius and I sat on the sidewalk, breathing heavily, wiping our sweat and waiting for our heart beats to go back to its normal pace. We sat for quite a while there, not talking at all. I observed my surroundings. The houses didn't really seem any different from the ones I usually saw in Maryfields, except for the fact that the houses in Maryfields were a bit bigger and more expensive looking. These houses looked very... homey. I liked it.

I looked at the houses further into the street. I had to squint to really see them from this far. It was pretty dark too, even with the streetlights lighting up the street at night. There was one house that caught my eye though. It didn't look like the rest of the homey houses at all. This one seemed bigger than the rest but older. Much older. I couldn't really say much about it from afar so I decided to check it out. Finally, I stood up from the sidewalk, feeling less tired.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked, standing up as well.

"I wanna check that house out," I said.

Sirius's eyes followed where my finger was pointing at.

"That house looks pretty scary from here."

"Maybe that's just because it's dark and it's night."

"No, mate," Sirius said, narrowing his eyes at the house. "Something's up with that house... I can... I can feel something... I dunno, it might sound stupid but I just know that that's no ordinary house."

We both stared at the big, creepy house in silence, wondering who exactly lived there... If anyone _did_ still live there...

"Do you think someone—"

"No, Padfoot," I said. "I don't think anyone would even _want_ to stay in there."

Suddenly, red light flashed from one of the homey houses in front of the creepy one. My hand immediately darted to my wand in the pocket of my trousers as I stared at the house, which was dark again, with narrowed eyes. Then, another flash of red light came and I just couldn't just stand there without doing anything because that red light looked awfully like the ones that burst out of wands.

I immediately started to jog to the house, Sirius right behind me. The closer we got to it, the closer we got to the creepy house too. I actually tried not to look at it, feeling that the more I looked at it, the higher the chances of me screaming my throat off in the morning because of nightmares. Suddenly, there was another flash of light coming from the house in front of the creepy one and I had no idea what the bloody fuck was going on in there.

Absolutely terrified of what awaited me in the house, I slowed down when we reached the front lawn. It was all dark again and there was no light coming from the windows. I frowned, wondering what exactly had happened to make the light stop. Maybe nothing peculiar was really going on... Maybe there was just some light in there that kept flashing... Why was it flashing so bright that it was seen from the other end of the street though?

Then, there was a ear-piercing scream that came from the house that I was pretty sure alerted the neighbors. I could have sworn I saw a few heads appear in the lit windows but Sirius and I didn't take the time to look because we immediately ran up the steps of the front porch and barged in with our wands out. I was extremely shocked at what exactly was inside the house and I felt my heart beating faster at the sight of her current state.

Florence Flanagan lay on the floor of the living room, her eyes open but were slowly fluttering closed. Her arm was stretched out and she loosely held her wand. She looked like she as so filled with pain, her body weak and limp and a few groans escaped her mouth. I thought I saw her eyes widen slightly at the sight of us but I didn't stop to look again because I was immediately by her side, kneeling down.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped.

"Cassie," she whispered weakly.

"What's wrong with her?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"No idea," I said.

"Cassie's upstairs James," Florence said, trying to sit up and her voice slightly louder. "Tommy— I mean, Jack! Jack is here!"

"Who the fuck is Jack?" Sirius said, making a face.

"Wait, we have to help her!" Florence snapped at us.

She tried to stand up and I helped her, still not knowing what the hell happened but I managed to look around the room and saw that everything was broken. Chairs and tables were losing parts and glass spread across the floor which made it hard for me to walk around. I noticed one shelf that was slanted which probably caused the broken things below it to break. One of these things had a nasty substance slowly coming out of it.

Suddenly, there was a commotion coming from upstairs. I could hear things breaking again and I could hear hurried footsteps everywhere. I tried to follow it with my eyes but they were too fast. One second, they're on one side of the second floor and the next second, they're on the other side. I was getting tired of moving my head around as I stared at the ceiling so I pointed my wand at the part where I was positive that someone was standing right there and sent a blasting spell at it. That part of the ceiling cracked and fell and a man fell down with it. He looked familiar alright. His hair was messy and dark and his eyes were piercing and ice blue. I know I've seen him before but I couldn't...

"You're one of the aurors who guarded Hogwarts," Sirius suddenly said.

I was too busy letting Sirius's statement sink in my head to notice that the man was already standing up and he had his wand.

"_JAMES_!" Florence screamed, pushing me out of the way and blocking the spell.

"Shit!" Sirius cursed when I fell on him after Florence pushed me.

After apologizing, I stood up straight again and pointed my wand immediately at the man. Sirius did the same. The three of us stood there, watching the man with narrowed eyes. He didn't dare do anything yet. It was three against one but he had the advantage of being older than all of us, therefore giving him more experience in fights like this. But wasn't he an auror? What in the world was this auror doing, trying to kill us?

"Oh, look, _more_ children," he muttered.

"Damn, right. Who the fuck do you think you are, trying to kill students?" Sirius snapped.

"Ah, I don't need you, or you, or _you_," the auror said, pointing at each not us and snarling the last word when he pointed at Florence. "I only need the girl up there."

I followed his wand, that he pointed above him at the hole on the second floor of the house, with my eyes. The girl up there he was talking about had to be Cassie. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and my eyes darted back down to him but he was no longer there but the banging and commotion upstairs resumed.

"That bastard apparated up there!" Florence screeched in fury.

"Come on," Sirius said, running up the ruined staircase. "Be careful. Some steps are gone."

Once the three of us reached the second floor, we barged in all the rooms we passed in the hall but none of them had the auror or Cassie in them. We reached the end of the hall where a spiral staircase lay. Without hesitating, the three of us ran up and pushed the door at the top open. There I saw the auror chasing Cassie around the room filled with boxes and old furniture. Cassie would often dodge a spell or duck and send one back with no results since this auror was trained to fight. Unfortunately, he was trained to fight us.

"_Confringo_!" Florence shouted, pointing her wand at the box the auror was just about to jump over before it exploded in flames.

Growling, the auror swiftly sent a spell a Florence that hit her right in the chest. She fell back to the floor and her hands shot up to her throat. She made gasping sounds and she was getting whiter and whiter.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I hissed. "Sirius, go back to the Ministry and call for help!"

"James, no one's there—"

"THEN GO BACK HOME! CALL DAD! SIRIUS, SHE'S DYING!"

His eyes widened and he raised his wand. He was gone after a loud crack. I turned my attention back to the auror but Cassie was no where to be found. The auror was slowly walking around with his wand out, his eyes narrowing at everything that he passed. I didn't make any sound, afraid that he would hear me and try to kill Florence and me again. I just needed to wait for Dad. I just had to be quiet until Dad came. Absentmidedly, I took one slow step back but the second my foot landed on the floor, a searing pain shot through my lower leg.

"_Fuck_!" I said in fury, looking down at the broken nail that I had stepped on.

Then a bolt of red light came flying towards me and immediately, I blocked it on instinct but I was much too shocked to do anything else. Only the sound of his voice snapped me back to my senses.

"Maybe it's better to get you out of the way before finding Blondie," he said before raising his wand again.

Another bolt of light came flying towards me and I gasped in pain when the spell hit the side of my stomach. The pain made me scream in agony. It was like a thousand needles were digging themselves in that one particular side of my stomach. I didn't dare look how it looked like but I clutched it with both hands and I couldn't feel any blood. The last thing I heard was a loud crack and I saw two people appear in the room. Then everything was black. And there went my dinner. _Down the fucking drain_.

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><p>I was awake but I didn't dare open my eyes. I was laying down on something soft and I couldn't hear anything but something beeping. How long I just laid there with my eyes closed, I don't know. What I did know was that I wasn't going to open my eyes until I was convinced that I wasn't in that Muggle house anymore and there was no auror trying to get me to spew my innards out. I was slowly going back to sleep, trying to take advantage of this peaceful day. It was never peaceful at home. Well, of course not, I live with Sirius, for Merlin's sake.<p>

Then, the door burst open.

"LOVELY BEST FRIEND, I HAVE COME TO— _Shit_!"

"Get out of the way, Sirius," the familiar voice of Remus Lupin filled my ears, together with Sirius's grunts of pain.

Slightly irritated, I rolled over to face them, opening my eyes. I saw Remus first, his sandy hair longer than it was the last time I saw him. His brown eyes brightened when he saw me awake.

"Hey, mate!" he said cheerfully. "So glad you're awake! We didn't expect you to wake till tomorrow. The Healer said you'd have a week of sleep before recovering."

Healer? I squinted at my surroundings, wondering if I was indeed in St. Mungo's because where else would there be Healers telling Remus when I was going to wake up? Annoyed at how blurry everything was, I reached for the side table beside my bed and snatched my glasses before slamming them on my face. I blinked rapidly for a while, getting used to how clear everything was all of a sudden.

Suddenly, Sirius's face was right in front of me.

"YOU ALL RIGHT?"

I nearly barfed up my innards in surprise right there. And that auror from the house wasn't even here.

"Get the fuck off!" I said, after getting over my shock and pushing him out of my bed.

"Sirius, he just woke up," Remus sighed. "Let him breath for a while."

I thanked Merlin for Remus.

"What happened?" I asked the two of them.

"You fainted."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I know that, Padfoot. I meant after that."

"Mr. Potter managed to stun to guy with some difficultly," Sirius said. "He called in some other aurors and they investigated the house and such but I don't know what they found. He made me and Cassie go back to the Potter Manor. You and Florence were brought straight here."

"Is she still here?" I asked.

"No," Remus answered. "She woke up after a day. Your condition was worse."

My hand immediately shot to the side of my stomach. "Do you know what spell he used on me?"

"Mr. Potter wouldn't tell us anything, actually..." Sirius said.

"Hey, Prongs, you're awake!"

I turned to the door and saw Peter enter with a smile on his face.

"What's up, Wormtail?" I said, stretching my hand out for him to high five.

"Been worried, mate," he admitted, slapping his hand against mine. "You doing fine?"

I shrugged in response. For the next hour, the four of us just talked, none of us bothering to call a Healer. When my Healer finally entered, she was shocked to see me up and awake and scolded the boys for not calling her. They were forced out of my room immediately. She then started to check my temperature and asked me some questions about my stomach. She showed me my side which was a bit off color. She said it was worse before. Apparently, it was like a giant bruise was forming and getting bigger every second. Thank goodness I was sent here to the hospital in time.

I had to stay in St. Mungo's for two more days before being able to go home. My family visited, together with Cassie. She didn't talk much and we didn't really make eye contact but mum managed to make my awkwardness around her go away because she kept talking about how worried she was and she thought I was going to die. My dad thanked me for finding Cassie and Florence. The auror, whose name was Jack Daley, was sent to Azkaban but the Minsitry didn't find out why exactly Jack attacked Cassie and Florence. It was all still a mystery but I knew Cassie knew something about it. I didn't ask her though.

When I was finally allowed to leave, I apparated to the Potter Manor, hoping to see mum baking once I got inside. Unfortunately, she had some Healer business to take care of. I actually wished she was my Healer instead of that other cranky woman who sent my friends out. But mum worked for other patients and she was more advanced. She probably healed patients with bigger issues.

I ran upstairs to my room, hoping to see Sirius this time. I was shocked to see an empty bedroom. Where did everyone go? Getting annoyed, I walked out of my bedroom and stared at the door right in front of mine. There was a plaque on it with Cassie's name neatly carved on it. I raised my fist to knock. Hesitantly, I planted soft and quiet knocks on her door. After a minute, I was ready to run back in my room because she probably wasn't there either but then surprisingly, the door opened.

"Hello," I said, my hand darting up to my hair to mess it up nervously.

She didn't reply. Se merely stared at me so I stared back. She was in her pajamas with a Gryffindor jumper over her tee. Something different I really noticed about her though was her hair.

"You cut your hair," I blurted out.

She blinked and raised her hand to finger a wavy strand that fell right below her shoulder.

"Yeah, I did," she said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I'm starting over this year," she answered. "I'm no longer going to be the quiet loser in the corner of the Gryffindor common room."

"So you cut your hair?"

"Well, it has something to do with my appearance too, I guess," she said. "If I'm going to start new this year, I'm changing my hair, my wardrobe—"

"But I don't understand," I interrupted. "Why do you want to start over?"

"Because since fourth year, I've been bullied and laughed at because of you," she said quickly with a sad smile on her face. "Now is my chance to start over. I'm not going to be shy and invisible. I'll be like all the other girls out there; bubby and outgoing."

"Why do you want to be like the _other girls_ out there when you can just be yourself?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at her.

"Well, being myself hasn't exactly worked for the past three years, has it?" she said stonily.

"And you're sure about this?"

"This is my last year in Hogwarts, James. I wouldn't want to spend it being the loser of the school again."

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><p><em>Good that Jack was arrested but will his reason of attacking Cassie always be a secret? And Cassie must know something about it. But what about Jess? Would he? Seems like James forgot about his small encounter with the American boy. How would Jess react to Jack getting arrested?<em>

_"Come on, Flo. We're getting our license today." -Cassie Hunter, Live To Die, Chapter Thirty, Up And About_

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><p><strong>You all have no idea how thankful I am for all your positive reviews and for sticking with this story even if I don't update that fast anymore! I love you all so flipping much! I'm sure you know who you are! School is such a pain and I just want to keep typing chapters for you guys! Thanks so much for all the support you've given me and as usual, I will try my very best to update. Xx<strong>

**Reviews are always welcome and they surely help a load! I love reading reviews and they really motivate me so if you can, I'd appreciate it if you leave a review. It would mean the world to me. :)**

**Pictures of the characters are on my profile and I'd love to hear from those who haven't seen them! Tell me what you think. :) If you want to see Cassie with short hair, just ask by PM or leave it in a review. Till next time, loves! Xx**


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